


Moonlight Moments

by RedemptionByFire (steelneena)



Series: Moonlight Universe [4]
Category: Twin Peaks
Genre: Angst, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Het Sex, I get to play in someone else's sandbox and it's the best, Moonlight Universe, if the rating it explicit i listed it in the chapter notes, it's mild though...mostly, prompt generated ficlets, the calm before the storm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2018-10-10 21:04:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10447482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steelneena/pseuds/RedemptionByFire
Summary: A Series of Moments from the private lives of Audrey Horne and Special Agent Dale Cooper, FBI.





	1. "I'm Fine,"

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lynzee005](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynzee005/gifts).



> Thanks to Lynzee005 for letting me have fun in her Moonlight 'verse. It's my favourite sandbox and an honour to be allowed to have my fun with it. 
> 
> The original prompts, as requested by Lynzee005, serve as each chapter's respective title.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by my week getaway vacation to Florida + that post about George of the Jungle and the female gaze that's been floating around tumblr forever and a day.
> 
> This one is explicit.

The stickiness of their skin should have been off putting, but they still lay close together, like a vine clinging to a branch, impossible to disentangle. A warm breeze filtered in through the window, hardly comforting in the cloying heat of late summer. August in Philadelphia was sweltering compared to what Audrey was used to. Even so late into the evening it was almost 90⁰ Fahrenheit. She was awake, finding it impossible to sleep through the heat any longer. In the dim light, she could see that their bedside clock read almost two in the morning. Even in her hazy state of waking, Audrey could clearly hear Dale’s soft breaths as they hummed in and out rhythmically, even, deep and slow. To their time, she felt her own body synchronize, in utter harmony with him. She loved to listen to every sound of him; his breaths at nights, the thrum of his heartbeat in his chest, the steady, low throb of his pulse, a gentle sigh in his sleep. Audrey memorized him in the wan light, the way his skin was luminous and pale, and how all his cares melted away, leaving his face open and full of youth and life. He was so serene against the moonlight. She seldom saw him in such a way, for even at his most content, Dale was an active person. His stance when standing still spoke of boundless, yet contained energy, which he used in living life to its fullest, whether that was putting his all into enjoying a cup of coffee, or sprinting after the latest perp. All told, Dale Cooper seemed entirely incapable of doing otherwise. But in sleep, he was at peace. A peace only Audrey got to see.

Tentative of disturbing his rest, Audrey threaded her fingers through his soft hair. They’d showered before bed in an attempt to cool off. It had been futile, considering what had ensued, and he left it to dry by itself, just as she had. It was a rare thing, to touch his hair without the pomade that kept it normally so perfectly coiffed. To do so was a heavenly pleasure. The silken strands of his sable hair were still damp with residual water and light traces of sweat that had developed in the humidity.

As Audrey continued to gaze, she thought back to earlier in the evening, when the muggy heat was pervasive, despite the sun’s lowered position. They’d spoken relatively little throughout the day, mostly sitting amidst the still packed boxes which had arrived the day after they. Canada had been a dream, drifting and listless and utterly _perfect_. She’d called ahead to home, asking that they pack and send out her other things, considering that they were due in Philadelphia the sixth. The boxes arrived the eighth and the heatwave struck shortly thereafter, leaving the boxes to be emptied at a later date when they weren’t both drenched in sweat from simply existing.

It had been around eight in the evening when she glanced at him from her prone position on his – _their,_ he’d insisted – couch. “Shower?”

“Yes,”

And that had been it. They’d roused themselves languidly from their reclined positions, Audrey losing articles of clothing as she went, heedless of where they dropped. Dale had followed suit, stripping off his undershirt and shucking away his boxers. Not far behind her, he held open the door to the bathroom as she passed through, ever the gentleman, even when they were both nude. She went to the window, through which they could see the sun setting, and threw it open, relishing in what little relief was provided by the soft, warm breeze as it rustled the curtains and her hair gently.  For just a moment, Audrey rested her elbows on the sill and let her chin fall onto her knuckles as she looked out across the glistening city, shimmering like a mirage in the heat. Bright and shining, the light glinted off the metal and windows of buildings, bright as sunspots to her eyes. Even the usually bustling sounds of the city were mostly absent as it’s denizens languished in a heat induced daze.

Behind her, Dale turned the faucet, the shower head raining icy droplets down upon him in a refreshing instant of relief. He groaned at the feel of sweat being washed away, turning his face up to the crystal spray, letting it run into his eyes and across his lips. Audrey turned and leaned against the wall, the light from the window framing her silhouette as she gazed at him. Dale was lost utterly in the cool bliss of the shower. The wind came in a short gust again, heat springing to Audrey’s cheeks before she stepped forward, the gauzy curtain catching at her shoulder as she did. Slow, she stepped into the shower and watched him from the new angle, admiring the width of his shoulders, the slight muscles that moved in his back, the angle of his hips… Audrey caught him from behind, arms slinking up his torso, her hands landing on his chest, fingers just brushing his nipples. She laid her cheek on his back, the cool water droplets contrasting with the radiating heat of his skin, and she sighed.

“Audrey,” Her name was the only word spoken in those moments as they stood motionless under the cooling spray. She had released Dale then, and he had turned, allowing her to step into full range of the spray. They shared the water, not particularly focused on getting clean so much as staying wet. A wholly different sort of wet from the sticky, starched drenching of the day. She looked him up and down. Even under the cool water, his skin was flushed beautifully and she felt the coils of desire at the sight of him. Something always reared it’s primal head when Audrey saw him in that way, bare of all his daily armor, of his suit and his professional habits, with strands of wet hair hanging into his eyes, which had darkened during her appraisal of him. She reached her hand down and let it land on his hip and trace down the vee of his waist. A soft noise started at the back of his throat when her nails traced gently down the sensitive flesh of his groin, and her own breath hitched as he reacted to her touch. Dale had reached out for her, grasping her gently at the waist, maneuvering her against the tiles of the wall and pressing into her space, infinitely close but without touching her. She was out of the spray, but the tiles still held a modicum of the damp cool and she relished in the combined feelings as his searing hand palmed at the underside of her thigh, leveraging her weight as he guided her leg to rest on the cut of his hip, half lifting and half sliding her up the wall. His other arm came to rest next to her head to brace both their weight as he shifted them.

Audrey rested a hand on his shoulder to balance herself and leaned her head back to look into his eyes. They were lidded, half with the heat, half, she was sure, with lust, and she itched to kiss him. She refrained, instead choosing to guide her free hand down between them, lightly stroking her fingertips up and down his length. She kept his gaze and saw, rather than heard, the quickening of his breath. Desire pooled within her at his response. The sun had lowered and a burnt orange light had settled in the room, lending it an ethereal glow; it caught on each drop of water, making Dale’s skin glisten as he moved. His forehead was inches away from her own, then, and she abandoned her light, arousing touches in favour of readying herself. As her eyes had fluttered closed, she had felt his lips press to her forehead, a barely there kiss, and then again, first on one eye and then the other. The hand she had on his shoulder clutched a little more tightly and her legs trembled and then she was guiding him into her, slow and languid. His hips barely moved once he was seated fully, resting instead within her as if content to stay there forever. The rhythmic drone of the shower crystallized the moment down infinitesimally, until, when Audrey finally opened her eyes, it seemed like the drops clinging to his lashes took an age to fall, that Dale’s intake of breath lasted and hour, that the fall of water was suspended as it fell, that the world had stopped around them. Even when he finally withdrew from her, almost all the way, it still felt like it had lasted forever. Lazily, they made love, his thrusts like gentle waves, her hitching breath hanging like a misty cloud between them, mingling with his as the sun went down and the heat remained. Her fingers clutched and released with each wave, his still a firm, unwavering pressure on her thigh. With each press of him against her, Audrey felt a new heat, the sensation that she was molten inside, liquefying until she was senseless and overstimulated all at once. Her orgasm came on gradually, slow and long and lingering, for what she imagined was several minutes though it felt far longer, and he followed her, shuddering gently, resting his head in the space above her shoulder. The still cool spray of the water ran down his shoulders and dripped from his hair, pooling slightly in the hollow at her neck as they continued to breath together, riding the aftershocks of release.

Audrey was roused from her thoughts when Dale’s breath changed. Dark lashes fluttered on pale cheeks. Audrey sucked in a breath and held it. All tension eased from his body in that moment. Against her, he was completely boneless, almost dead to the world.

This, this was heaven, she thought. Sticky and hot and uncomfortable, their legs plastered together, their torsos pressing, skin clinging like clay. Both comfort and discomfort coexisted like harmonious blasphemy in the moment and Audrey reveled in it. Another soft noise fell from his lips.

What a blessing, she realized, that they were both alive and safe and laying there, together. Her own heart was thrumming potently in her chest with the weight of her simple epiphanies.

Dale opened his eyes, but remained unmoving. He blinked at her once, and she blinked back at him. Then, beautifully, he smiled. It was a soft, tired smile, still mired in sleep like the sun peaking from without a cloud.

“Audrey?” He questioned, a hint of concern in his voice.

She hummed at him. “I’m fine,” and she was.

“What time is it?” he asked in a whisper. Audrey smiled back, tender.

“Early. Go back to sleep, Dale,”

He blinked again, a rally against the temptation of drifting immediately back into the depths of sleep.

“You’re watching me,” he stated, a bit coyly despite the slumber that clung to his tone. Audrey lifted a hand and brushed at the hair laying on his forehead.

“Maybe,”

A gentle laugh lingered in the air, and there! That was the sun! Even in the moonlight, Audrey felt the radiant warmth of his happiness. The smile remained bright on his face, even as he closed his eyes again. After a moment, his breathing settled into an even rhythm and Audrey thought that be might be asleep when, lashes still soft against his cheek, Dale spoke.

“I love you,”

Audrey lay back onto the mattress, her pillow somewhere on the floor.

“I love you too,” She replied, turning her head to look at him, but he was still once more, the haze of sleep hanging around him like a halo, and Audrey, content, followed him.


	2. "I haven't slept in four days,"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry comes to visit.

Dale still hadn’t been back to work full time when he got the call from Harry that he was taking a much deserved vacation in the form of a road trip and was hoping to stop by when he reached the east coast. Stopping by, of course, turned into staying for a few days, at Dale and Audrey’s combined behest. Over the months that the two had spent in Canada, they’d had relatively little contact with the rest of the world at large, instead spending the time focused entirely on each other, so Dale wasn’t quite as surprised by how excited he felt to see the man who had become such a good friend in such a short time. 

During the few days they spent in preparation of their guest, Dale found himself thinking a lot about that friendship. Audrey was his constant companion in life. He had Albert, and to a certain extent Gordon. There was occasionally Denise and also Diane, but it was still different. They were friends and colleagues, but that wasn’t the same. He hadn’t spoken to anyone from college or home in so many years that Dale wondered if they’d even recognize him. Rationally, he knew he hadn’t changed that much, but when he tried to imagine where his college friends were in life…The images eluded him. 

Harry’s friendship meant more to Dale than he’d been aware, and so his exuberance to see the laconic man grew. Albert was terse and didn’t like to let loose often. Gordon was…a handful to put it kindly. Denise was almost more Audrey’s friend than his these days, and Diane was always off doing something or another somewhere or another with someone or another. Harry was the quiet calm and grounded center. Just thinking about it made Cooper feel peaceful, especially after all the frantic energy that had been building around Audrey before the start of her college courses.

It was a novelty really, to have a friend come visit him. Someone who understood the restrictions of his job, who wouldn’t ask him if he’d tried talking to his brother lately, and, above all, someone who wouldn’t ask him how he was doing. 

Work had been…interesting after his return to Philadelphia with Audrey. The details of what he had undergone were classified, but the news that he’d be required to sit desk duty meant one of two things to everyone in the Bureau – either the agent was under review, or he/she had undergone something psychologically damaging. It hadn’t been hard for Dale’s coworkers to figure out which it was, considering that he was required to meet once a week with the Bureau psychologist, as per regulation in the second scenario. Gossip was the norm there, just like any office and while Dale was generally immune to that, it was hard to ignore it when the knowledge altered how people acted around him. 

Harry would treat him as he’d always done. At least for a few days Dale could escape the intense scrutiny he’d undergone since returning to work, and Audrey, who had just begun at Haverford only a week before, would also be absent more often. 

Peace and quiet. Once again, Dale thanked whatever higher powers were watching him for Harry’s easy demeanor. 

As Dale tucked a square corner on the fresh sheets for the spare bedroom, Audrey poked her head through the doorway. “Are you almost done? The comforter has officially aired out for a full day and I’ve chosen three pillows of different firmnesses for Harry to pick from when he gets here,” 

“Just one more corner and the bed will be ready, Hostess Audrey,” Dale quirked a smile and she beamed back at him before disappearing from the room once more, presumably to gather the aforementioned items. In a strange twist, after the first two days of classes, Audrey had become strangely concerned about Dale being alone, especially since he was still only working mandated half days. As such, the idea of Harry visiting had gone over extremely well with her. Some small part of Dale knew that Harry found his relationship with Audrey still a bit strange; contextually, Harry knew that Audrey had saved Dale’s life, that fearless, loyal, loving Audrey was the only reason Dale was still alive, and was plenty experienced enough in the ways of the world to make such choices. But she was still a girl Harry had known since she’d been a baby, and as genial as Harry was, some hurdles were still difficult to overcome completely. Harry was only four years older than Dale himself, so he could understand his hesitation, especially since Audrey held no qualms in transitioning to calling the Sherriff by his given name. Their dynamic would certainly be interesting to observe if nothing else, Dale had concluded the same night that they’d finalized Harry’s plans. 

With the other corner of the sheet tucked accordingly, Dale turned down the top hem enough for the pillows to sit ahead of the sheet and then surveyed the room. Up until the day prior the ‘guest room’ had been called ‘Dale’s Office’. His filing cabinets and desk were still present but had been moved to the corner where they would be the least obtrusive and the closet had been rearranged to provide as much space as possible to accommodate Harry’s things. He didn’t have a second bed (he’d never needed it, and certainly couldn’t anticipate any time soon when it would become necessary for more than a short while), but he did have a fairly decent pull out couch which he’d stashed in the small space for just such occasions. More than once Dale had sat down to read a thick file from work and fallen asleep sitting  there by lamplight, but more often than not in the days since he’d returned home, he found himself working in the living area, Audrey in one armchair, himself in the other, so he hadn’t minded giving up the space to his friend’s use. 

Audrey reentered the room, arms laden with the bedding and pillows. “A little help?” 

“Sure thing, dear,” Dale lifted the pillows off of the top of her pile and laid them out across the top of the mattress while Audrey unfolded the comforter, leaving one layer back. 

“I think that should do it. I put out an extra set of towels in the bathroom. Green is Harry’s. We’re white. Can you think of anything else?”

Dale smiled at the thoughtful look on Audrey’s face. “Nothing I can come up with at the moment. You’re a natural born pro at this, Audrey. But I suppose that was a given,” 

“Growing up in a hotel did me one good thing at least. Maybe two,” She smirked and gave him a pointed look. 

“Only  _ maybe _ two?” 

“Maybe,” 

He laughed aloud. “Do you need me to pick up anything from the corner store before Harry gets here?”

A furrow threaded its way across her brow. “Beer, if Harry will want it. And you should probably get more coffee grounds. Is there anything else Harry likes? I took the steaks out of the freezer this morning, and some green beans. Let me check how many potatoes I have…” 

Dale followed Audrey out of the room. Her anxious energy hadn’t entirely dissipated since starting university, and he wondered why but didn’t dwell on it. As she dug through the pantry, the phone rang, and Dale went to answer it. 

“Dale Cooper speaking,” 

_ “Hi Coop,”  _

“Harry! Hello!” Dale exclaimed and Audrey looked up from the potatoes. “What can I do you for?”

_ “I’m nearing town so I stopped at a gas station and I just wanted to get that address of yours again. It uh, blew away last night,”  _

“Sure thing, Harry. It’s 6147, Bend Dr. Harrisburg, PA, that’s apartment seven twenty five 7-2-5,” 

_ “Great. Thanks Coop. I’ll see you in half an hour,” _

“Looking forward to it, Harry. Dinner will be on when you get here,” 

He hung up the phone and smiled at Audrey, who’d begun to peel the potatoes. “Can I help with that?” 

“Of course,” She handed him the peeler and the potato and moved on to get the pot ready. “Did Harry loose the address?” 

“Said it blew away,” Dale shrugged. A peeling flew wide of the garbage can and stuck to the cabinet. He paused to remove it before continuing. “He’ll be about half an hour. I’ll finish these up and run down to the corner quick for that case of beer. You sure you don’t want anything for yourself?” 

He looked up in time to see Audrey swiping the hair out of her eyes, a clip between her teeth and the steaks on the cutting board in front of her. 

“No, I’m fine,” 

They worked together for a momentary silence before Audrey began to hum. Early on, Dale had discovered that Audrey was prone to humming without knowing she was doing so. The tunes were varied, sometimes not even real songs, just whatever happened to come to her mind in any given moment. When he placed the last potato on the counter, he looked up at her, busy with the meat seasoning, humming away and totally lost in her own world. He remembered the first time she’d decided to cook for them. 

_ “It’s just following the instructions. I can manage that,” _

Despite his best intentions, Dale had been skeptical, but Audrey was…well,  _ Audrey _ and he hadn’t tried to dissuade her. She picked up the cookbook at the Woodland Hutterite colony they’d visited on a whim in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba and she’d proceeded to make dinner for them that very night. She’d certainly gotten better (Dale believed that there was room for improvement in all things) and more confident as she’d kept up with her self-determined household duty. Somewhere along the line she had relented when he offered to assist and Dale had found it an absolutely rewarding activity when he was around to do so. He reveled in the simple ritual, where they wove in and around one another skillfully, switching duties, holding bowls, turning pieces of chicken and stirring noodles and rice. 

A simple comfort, the creation of a meal, and one of which Dale had never experienced with another person. When he had the time to think on it, it was those small things that he relished the most, that he always considered when he thought about how much he might have missed in his life otherwise, and how far he’d come. 

He’d sliced and placed the potatoes into the now boiling water by the time that Audrey had the steak in a grill pan and was turning on the heat. “I’ll be back soon then,” 

“Mhmm,” Audrey replied, already busied with chopping an onion and celery. 

Dale leaned in and kissed her cheek before exiting the kitchen. The walk to the corner store only took five minutes and it left Dale some more time to think, which, he thought, was all he’d done lately. Maybe Audrey wasn’t so wrong to worry about him being home by himself. Being left to his thoughts even several months separated from everything they’d undergone could still be dangerous. He shook the remembrance from his mind and focused on Harry’s imminent arrival. 

The night outside was warm and sticky in the heat, and the store was lit from inside, a warm yellow light spilling out across the concrete of the sidewalk, and the bell jingled when Dale entered. 

“Evening Gene,” He greeted the owner, who waved at him. 

“You’re in here late, Mr. Cooper,” 

“I have a guest arriving tonight so we postponed dinner a bit. Just here to pick up some beverages,” He peered through the slightly frosted windows. “Hey Gene, you don’t happen to have anything brewed in Washington State, do you?”

“Oh, let me think,” Gene came out from behind his register. “Got something here from that new company Pike Brewing. They just opened in Seattle last October. It’s a stout. That okay?” 

Cooper beamed as Gene handed him the case. “Aces! That’ll do just fine, thank you Gene. And that’s all I’m here for today, so you can ring me right on up,” 

Gene pressed a few buttons on the register and Dale put the case down on the counter to fish his billfold out of his pocket. 

“How’s that pretty gal of yours doing, Mr. Cooper? What’s her name again?” The beers rung up at $4.30, and Dale took out his coin purse for some change. 

“Audrey. Her name is Audrey and we’re doing just fine Gene, thank you. She likes it here a lot, and I’m relieved,” 

“Why is that?” Gene took the proffered bills and coinage and dropped them in their appropriate places before closing the drawer. 

“Small town girl in the big city. I wasn’t’ sure what to expect, but I guess I should have known better. If anyone can handle Philadelphia, it’s Audrey,” 

Gene raised his scraggly white eyebrows. “Ah, so your girl’s a handful, then?” 

“Like a hurricane, Gene. A real hurricane,” He smiled, pocketed his coin purse and wallet, grabbed the beer and headed out the door. All the while, Gene shook his head fondly. 

When he finally returned to the apartment, it smelt a dream. Audrey was preparing a mustard butter for the steak and the green beans were simmering with onion and celery. Dale put the beer in the fridge. When he was done, he glanced at his watch. “How’re the steaks coming?”

“Just fine. What’s the time?” 

“You’ve got another five minute before I expect he’ll show up, on the outside. Traffic’s light this time of night but it’ll be harder to see so I think maybe we can extend that deadline to eight. I’ll set the table,” She caught his arm as he reached for the drawer pull and pressed in to kiss him. It was tender and slightly less than chaste. When she backed away, her eyes were sparkling. “What was that for? Not that I’m complaining,” Dale asked Audrey, breathless. 

“I wanted to get it out of the way before Harry arrived,” She said, smoothing her hand down his chest. There was some intention in the tone of her voice and Dale understood it, but didn’t respond. Audrey went back to work as if nothing had happened and Dale’s gaze softened as he followed her progress. 

“I love you,” he said as he gathered the spoons and knives from the drawer. 

“I love you too,” She replied, once more focused on the status of the food. As he lay out the silverware and plates, Dale again watched her move through the kitchen. Audrey was a graceful presence in everything she did, and she showed it as she dished the potatoes into a bowl with some butter and parsley. 

“I love you,” He said again, a bit more ardently. That time she turned, fixing him in her gaze.  The corner of her mouth quirked upwards and she started towards him. When she stood directly in front of him, she handed him the bowl of potatoes. 

“I love you too, Dale. Don’t forget the steak knives,” 

He smiled warmly at her, feeling a wellspring of emotion rise within him. Quickly, Dale tamped it down. That too was something he’d discovered he’d have to work on – not reacting to everything so strongly. Emotionally they’d both been a bit rocky still as they’d left for Canada, even though the worst of it appeared to be behind them. He’d just been so happy to be alive, so happy that things had worked out, that he took every moment of joy in his life and made sure to fully appreciate every minute of it. And there had likewise still been the times when the guilt crept up on him – for the highest highs were always accompanied by the lowest lows and finding his equilibrium had initially proved difficult. Audrey had the same issue, though to a far lesser extent and they were still working on  _ it. _ Working on governing all of the most intense memories. Progress had been made, but he still worked to keep in check. 

As Audrey finished with the beans, Dale was grabbing the steak knives as requested when their hall buzzer sounded. 

“That’ll be Harry,” 

“I’ll finish up here, you go let him in,” 

Dale headed down the stairwell with a spring in his step and greeted Harry emphatically at the door. “Harry! Good to see you, Sheriff! Let me help you with those bags,” 

Harry S. Truman pushed his way through the door, looking comical for all it was obvious he didn’t feel it. 

“It’s damn good to see you Cooper,” He said, readjusting one of his bags so it hung better on his shoulder. “I haven’t slept in four days,” Dale grimaced at Harry’s particularly expressive tone. “Every motel. Every damn motel full. Every time I needed to stop. How does that happen, Cooper? How?” Harry blinked owlishly.

“I haven’t the faintest, Harry, but rest assured, you’ll have a bed tonight and a place to sleep,”

“And when I tried to park on the side of the road, a cop told me that sleeping in the car along the highway was illegal in his county. Me. Stopped by a cop. Coop, I haven’t slept in four days,”  He shook his head in disbelief.   

“Harry,” Dale started, placing a hand firm on his friend’s shoulder. “There’s steak and potatoes upstairs, and some craft beers from a brewery in Washington State. Why don’t you let me take the bags, and let Audrey and I get you straighten out. Let it never be said that food couldn’t set a good lawman back to rights,” 

“Sounds damn good to me,” 

Harry followed him to the elevator, absolutely quiet, apparently drained for energy. “I took off tomorrow, and Audrey has classes first thing in the morning. You can sleep in and I’ll treat you to breakfast at this diner down the road a ways. Now, Harry,” He paused, looking at him emphatically. “It’s no Double R, but they make a mean cup of coffee and the eggs are to die for,” 

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Dale’s friend managed a smile, running his hand through his hair and across his tired face. “Who knew road tripping could be this hard. It’s supposed to be a vacation. And you and Audrey did this for what, three months?” A hint of exasperation was obvious in Harry’s tone.

Dale countered it bemusedly. “Audrey and I had the luxury of a bed most nights, Harry,” 

“Uh huh. Right. The luxury of a bed,” Harry looked a bit more amused but Dale couldn’t be sure. The elevator dinged, the doors opened and they both made their way out into the hallway. 

“Here we are Harry, number seven twenty five,” Dale held open the door and Harry took a deep breath as he entered. Audrey was just turning off the stove. The rest of the food was already on the table, and the beers out and poured. 

“Hi Harry,” Audrey smiled at him as she wiped her hands on a towel one last time. “It’s good to see you,” 

“Nice to see you as well Audrey. Dinner smells mighty fine,” 

“Good. Go ahead and sit down. Dale’s got your bags and then we’ll eat. I’m sure you’re starved,” 

“And sleep deprived, but that’s a long story,” Dale interjected. Harry made a face, but Dale didn’t see it as he’d already left with the bags for the guest room. When he returned, both were seated at the table, and Audrey was putting a steak on his plate. 

“There’s no pepper on the potatoes or the green beans, so you can self-season that,” She explained. “I didn’t know how much you’d like. And there’s plenty of mustard butter if you want it,” 

Dinner topics consisted of a bit of an update for Audrey and Dale by way of Twin Peaks, and some stories of Canada on their part. After sitting an extra hour at the table talking, Harry stood. “I know it’s only nine, but I’ve got to get some sleep or I think I’m going to crash mid-sentence and faceplant in the beans,” 

“It’s no problem Harry, really,” 

Audrey took him to the guest room and Dale stayed behind to gather the dishes, and begin washing them. Audrey returned quickly enough and grabbed a towel to dry. “Sounds like Harry had quite the ordeal,” 

“Mhmm,” He intoned, handing her a glass. “He’ll be out like a light in no time flat, guaranteed,” 

“I’m glad he’s here to visit,” Audrey said after a moment’s consideration. “I think he needs it as much as you do. Twin Peaks can get to be…” She trailed away and Dale nodded. 

“A bit much,” he finished for her, thinking back to his time in the town, albeit avoiding particular memories. “Yes, for as much as I love your hometown, Audrey and as peaceful as it can be, it can get to be a bit much, I suppose, though you’d probably know that better than I,” 

“I suppose,” She echoed, her voice low and her eyes distant. A serving bowl was added to the growing pile of dried dishes. “Have you given any thought to what you and Harry are going to do?” She asked, in an obvious change of topic. “Besides taking him to that diner, I mean,” 

“A bit. I thought maybe I’d take him to the gun range. I think he has some pent up emotions that need expelling after his four day stretch of driving sans slumber,”

Audrey giggled and Dale counted it as a win. The low light of the fixture over the sink had sent deep shadow cascading across her face and the waves of her hair bounced with each inhale. “Alright. Gun range it is. Anything else? He’s here for a week. You’d better think of something because I’m going to be at class at least sixty percent of every day,” 

“Yes, I know,” Dale thought for a moment. “Maybe the Zoo. There’s a lot of museums around as well. Landmarks, you know,” 

“Well, don’t go to the museum without me. Landmarks I can see any time but I want you fresh to go see some of that fine art you keep telling me about,” Three plates joined the growing pile and she paused a minute while she waited for him to finish with another bowl. “Have you asked Harry at all what he might like to do?” 

“Well, he suggested I’d know best how to “while away” time here. I guess we’ll see in the morning. Besides, he took this road trip to do different things, you know, get away from the same old routine. Now, I suppose I can understand that well enough, considering the job, but-“

“Not everyone considers camping to be the ideal vacation, Dale. Not even sheriffs from small Northwestern towns,” Even though her words were chiding, Audrey’s smile reached her eyes. 

“Yes, yes, I suppose you’re right,” Dale smiled back, and they focused on the dishes and on coming up with ideas for his coming day with Harry. 

The evening came and went quickly. It was a different awakening than the usual, with Audrey rolling out of bed earlier than Dale to get a head start on the morning. When he’d blearily opened his eyes and groaned, Audrey walked back over to him, gave him a peck on the cheek and told him she’d see him later. 

Almost an hour later Dale woke again, not having realized that he’d fallen back asleep, and decided to get the day started. By the time his morning ablutions were completed, he was dressed, and the coffee maker was running, it had been another half an hour. Harry hadn’t stirred, and Dale wasn’t shocked. After he retrieved his mail and the day’s paper and picked up a box of donuts from the bakery a block and a half down, the coffee was ready and he settled in to read. At nine thirty, Dale put aside the Travel section and made his way to the guest room. After a moment’s deliberation, Dale knocked softly. 

“Harry, I’d let you sleep longer, but I think it’s better for you to get back into a normal sleep cycle. I can say this with absolute certainty, as I myself have gone four days without sleep on two separate occasions, so I find I’m an authority on the matter. Also, I’ve prepared coffee and donuts for us both,” 

He heard a groan from behind the door, took it as all the verbal confirmation he was going to get, and made his way back to the paper, and, of course, his black, black coffee. 

When Truman finally emerged, he looked quite well rested despite his earlier reluctance. Dale handed him a second mug of coffee and he sat down in what Dale had come to think of as “Audrey’s chair”. On the table between them he’d placed the plate of donuts. 

“Morning Coop,” Harry said between sips. 

“And a proper good-morning to you too, Harry, ” He replied, lifting his own mug to his lips. “Audrey’s gone to classes for the day,” He explained preemptively. 

“Ah, right,”. Harry took a long draft from his mug of steaming coffee and looked around, pensive. “Coop, you’ve gone positively domestic. It agrees with you, ya know,” 

Dale felt rather than intended the smile that blossomed across his face. “It’s what I’ve always wanted Harry. I just couldn’t have guessed at who with. Now, we need to focus on you for a minute. There’s certainly plenty to do in town, but I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed. I thought, for starters, I might take you down to the gun range that I frequent outside Bureau time. Let off a little steam,” 

Harry set the mug down, the clink of it against the formica acting as punctuation to his grim smile. “That,” he paused. “Sounds like a damn good idea,” 

They walked. Everything was within range, so it hadn’t made sense for Audrey not to take the car to school that day. They talked relatively little, all things concerned. Dale had always been the more vocal of the two, Harry always preferring to say little and then, only what was meaningful, beyond requisite ‘yep’s, ‘gotcha’s and the like. 

Dale held the door open for Harry when they arrived. Behind the counter sat a man and a woman. The woman didn’t blink. The man was working a bite of chew furiously, his jaw making second long concentric circles.

“New people at reception today, Harry. I’m not usually here during the day,” Dale stated,  _ sotto voce.  _ He walked up to the desk, every inch the picture of his usually cheerful countenance. “Hello. Name’s Cooper. I’m in your register, but I don’t usually come during the day. I’ve got my friend with me here, also an upstanding lawman,” 

The woman turned her head slowly, still unblinking, picked up a heavy looking book and plopped it down onto the counter with a bang. It was open to a page headed with the day’s date. 

“Sign here,” 

The man continued chewing. Each time his jaw moved, it made the same sound. Harry looked at Dale, who looked back before writing in his name. He pushed it down the counter and Harry signed in as well. 

“That’ll be twenty even. You together or separate?” She asked, but the question was stated in the same monotone as everything else she’d said, so it didn’t really sound like a question at all. 

“Together,” Dale put a hand out to still Harry’s protest. “My treat, Harry,”. 

“ID’s please,” The woman asked as she laboriously removed heavy bound register from the counter and looked at their names with general disinterest. “Glasses and headphones are in the hall,” 

The man was who still furiously chewing the same bite of tobacco watched them with narrowed eyes. As they took back their ID’s and headed down the hall, his gaze followed them, hawk-like. 

“Remember the last time we were at the gun range, Coop?” Harry asked, wistful. 

“You betcha,” 

“Blew us all out of the water,” 

Dale looked  sheepish. “Harry, I’m not above a little showing off now and again. Forgive me?”

“Course, Coop. You sure did impress us all. But We’ve been practicing ourselves. Had to since you’d been by. We’ve had to use our guns a lot more in this past year than ever before,”

“And that, Harry, is truly a crime. I’m sorry for it,” 

“Not your fault Coop,” 

Despite the ease with which it was said, Dale still felt the immediate relief of hearing the reassurance. He still wasn’t past the point where he didn’t automatically find himself feeling guilty for everything that had occurred in Twin Peaks. There was the lingering doubt about BOB and his relationship with the entity, about his mother’s death. But he shook it off under Harry’s warm, genuine smile and the friendly slap on the back that followed. 

“Good ol’ Coop, you’re keeping us lazy lawmen on our toes,” 

“Now Albert would agree with you there,”. 

At the end of the hall, Dale offered his weapons for the requisite check and in a matter of minutes they were waved through to a booth on the far right hand side of the range. Harry and Cooper took up their positions, and let fly their rounds. Very little talk accompanied the activity, but it wasn’t necessary to add to the basic camaraderie that was reaffirmed between them. After a forty-five minute session they compared the last of their target sheets, gathered their things, returned the rental glasses and headphones and were on their way. It was nearing on noon when they finally left. 

“How about we head on down to that diner?”

“It any good?” Harry teased. “I’ve worked up a hell of an appetite,” 

“You betcha. It’s no Double R, but it’s pretty damn good,” 

Harry smirked. “Now, Coop, I hear that Philly’s known for hoagies and cheesesteaks, so I hope you’re intending on introducing me to some of that Philadelphia cuisine and not just your last resort in lieu of flying out to Norma yourself,” 

Dale laughed, and for the first time in a while he felt totally unburdened. “Harry,” He said in a sincere tone. “You won’t be disappointed.”

Lunch went off without a hitch. Dale had the special and two slices of pie (rhubarb) and a coffee, of course, while Harry ended up with a bacon cheeseburger, coffee and a slice of apple. They chatted a while before deciding to head over to the Reading Terminal Market to pick up some groceries for that evening.  

“Just how big is the place now?” Harry asked, side eyeing Dale. 

“Oh, about a block and a half, give or take,” He shrugged. “It’s been growing. They’re working on some revitalization project. It’s nice to see the city care about things like that again,”

Harry nodded thoughtfully. 

The market was ultimately more than he’d anticipated. Harry couldn’t be certain he’d ever seen so many people in one place all at the same time. It was noisy, crowded and smelled absolutely fabulous. They ate even more food, which didn’t seem to bother Dale much, before picking up  groceries and then made their way to a little Tibetan stall where Cooper bought a few odds and ends. Harry found himself reminiscing back to when Cooper first came to town, and the rock throw exercise that had everyone so skeptical. He huffed a laugh, which Cooper didn’t notice, and they moved on. 

That night was a blur for Harry, still tired and even more worn out from the day. They ate (again!) and played a game before retiring for the evening. 

Over the next several days Dale (and sometimes Audrey) took Harry to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Valley Forge and the Franklin Institute. They were supposed to be headed to the Battleship New Jersey on the fourth day, but Harry had other ideas. 

“Coop. I’m exhausted. I’ve seen a lot...more than I anticipated if I’m being honest. I’m a small town guy. I think...I think I need a breather,” 

Thus, they found themselves (all three of them) out on Lake Galena that morning, fishing in the peace and quiet. 

“Harry looks like he’s finally having a good time,” Audrey murmured in Dale’s ear. 

“Maybe all Harry needed was a fishing trip, instead of a vacation,” He whispered back conspiratorially. 

“I can hear you to shush shushing over there and my ears are burning. You got something that you want to share with me?” He smirked a bit, but only half ways, which meant that all the two could see was the stern side. 

“We’re not saying a thing, Harry, not a single thing!” Audrey sing songed, laughing. 

The trip ended in several lbs. of fish, half of which was for Harry and half of which would stay with Audrey and Dale.  

“It’ll keep me all set for the road,” Harry mused. “You know, Coop, I’ve decided that I’m going to camp all the way out there instead. Camping sounds like a much more relaxing pursuit. No more stopping to see roadside attractions, no more car museums, no more nothing. Just some good, old fashioned camping all the way home,” 

“That’s more you speed, isn’t it Harry?” Dale asked with a pleasant smile. “I’m glad you came,” He said as they towed in the boat. Audrey was already hauling away the equipment to Harry’s truck. “Things have...things have been a bit difficult, to be honest,” 

Harry looked up at Dale; had it been any other person, Dale knew that there would have been a look of alarm there, but only the barest hint of concern sparked in Harry’s eyes. “ ‘S that so?”

“Trying to recalibrate myself I suppose. What with everything that happened, and my leave of absence and then the vacation, now figuring things out with Audrey...Going back to work has been hard in the midst of all these…”

“Events. Changes. Progressions,” Harry offered. 

“Precisely. You’re a calm steady anchor in my angry sea. It’s been a real treat to show you around, and yet, all your vacation ended up being was hectic. I’m sorry, Harry,” 

“Nah, Coop,” Harry brushed him off as he coiled the rope tether on the dock post. “I had a good time. It’s what I wanted to do, even if I didn’t know I was going to be so gal darn tuckered out by the end of it. There’s no apologizing now. I’m going to get my vacation from my vacation on the way home. Nice and slow. And you two love birds,” He gestured at Audrey who was packing away the last of their poles. “Can get back to your daily routine. Maybe once I’ve left your life’ll feel a little bit more normal again,” 

“Maybe, Harry. Maybe. Thanks for always been a good friend,”. 

“You got it Coop,”. 

They shook hands nice and firm before Audrey was calling them back over to the truck. 

Everything had worked out alright after all. And Harry had been right. Dale hadn’t had any time to spend worrying about everything that was going on. All the other activity had driven it completely from his brain. So, by the time they’d seen Harry off the next morning after breakfast, Dale was feeling content. 

He hummed low in his throat over the coffee. They’d just gone back inside and the house was feeling empty in a relaxing sort of way. 

“Are you okay, Dale?” Audrey asked as he looked pensively out the kitchen window. 

“You know what, Audrey? I feel better than I have in a long time,”. He smiled at her, a real true smile, and turned back to the window. From behind her arms encircled him and she stood on tiptoe to put her chin on his shoulder as they both breathed in the fresh air. 


	3. "You're So Beautiful"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh this started so innocent and then Audrey just couldn't help herself I'm sorry guys. (It's a short one, I know, I know...)

Audrey was curled in her favourite chair, the one in the far left corner of the room, angled to face the hallway. It was a dark brown leather, gently worn and just the perfect size for her to pull her legs up against her chest with a book, or some school work, or simply to listen to the radio.

She closed the book she was reading and instead focused on Dale, who sat beside her to the right, only a lamp stand separating them. He was flipping through a case file, brow furrowed under his glasses, studious. A slow smile spread across Audrey’s face as she observed him. The light shadowed his face so that he was bathed in amber, skin glowing golden. Audrey curled a little tighter, her smile growing even larger as she reveled in the private moment.

The weight of her gaze must have caught Dale’s attention, because he looked up from the case file and around the room, half dazed at his abrupt resurfacing from the depths of concentration. One of Audrey’s incisors caught at her lower lip when his gaze finally landed on her. Dale flipped the folder shut, and narrowed his eyes in mock contemplation.

“What,” He asked, pausing a bit dramatically, leaning forward to see her better. “Are you doing Audrey?”

“I got distracted,” She said. “And it’s your fault,”

He looked at her, bemused. “My fault? How’s that?”

Audrey stood, setting her book on the side table, and walked over to him. She slid one hand onto the armrest of his chair, then the other. Dale sat back in response, head hitting the cushion to look at her as she slid herself into his lap.

“You’re so beautiful,” She said, voice low. Audrey lifted one hand to the back of his head and the other rested on his cheek. Dale’s breath hitched as her fingers trailed down and then dropped to his chest, pressing there. She leaned towards him, and he could feel her breath on his lips. “You’re so beautiful,” This time, there was an aching quality to her voice.

He leaned in towards her slightly and their lips met in a soft, chaste kiss. They drew apart incrementally, Dale’s vision fogged. Despite the  distortion, he could see her crystal blue eyes glistening and a light flush on her skin.

“You’re the one who’s beautiful,”

Girlishly, she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, then leaned in again.

“It’s your glasses. They’re driving me to distraction,”

“Is that so?” This time, Dale was genuinely surprised. It didn’t help that her lips were pressing against the throb of his pulse, just below his ear, teeth grazing slightly.

“I’m going to need your handcuffs, Agent Cooper. You’re so beautiful, it’s criminal. I’m going to have to arrest you,”

Dale chuckled, allowing his hands to rest of the purchase of her hips. “Going to make a citizen’s arrest, Ms. Horne?”

She pulled back to look at him, a mischievous glint in her eye, then grabbed his tie, fondling it for a moment. After a moment, Audrey slid off of his lap, pulling him up by the tie. “You’re going to have to come with me, Agent Cooper,” In reaction to her pull, Dale stood. “I’m going to need to take you in for questioning,” He followed Audrey out of the living room and down the hall, the case file laying forgotten where it had fallen on the floor.


	4. “Why are we whispering?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not supposed to get maudlin. It really was supposed to be hilarious. But somehow, Dale and others just weren't having it. There's no music for the first half, but the second half, if you're feeling like you want to really get sad when you read, you should listen to Sting's Shape of My Heart, not for the words, but just mood the song puts off. I hope you all enjoy. For those curious about the new characters, see the note at the end.

Under the sheet, Audrey rolled languorously, stretching out her arms above her head and arching her body, catlike. The sun was already glinting in through the window warm and inviting, perfect to bask in. Dale was gone. He’d gotten a call in the early morning and had to leave for work, so she’d only been half awake when he kissed her goodbye, waving her hand with a half conscious movement. It was a Saturday, and she didn’t really have anything planned, so Audrey allowed herself to lie there, reveling in the caress of the sun and the luxurious feel of the 500 count Egyptian cotton sheets against her skin. She had drifted in and out of sleep for five, maybe six minutes when she started to hear sounds coming from the apartment.

Grinning at the thought of Dale, back early, making breakfast and  - she sniffed the air – coffee, Audrey slid from the bed grabbing the short, silk robe that hung on their mirror. It was new, something Dale had picked up off the cuff and given to her one evening, blushing a little at the reminder of their intimacy.  It had a pale cream background with a Japanese floral pattern in lavender, pale pink and green, with a wide, black border around the bottom. She tied the belt loosely around her waist and tiptoed out of their bedroom, the cool silk brushing against her upper thighs.

Audrey loved mornings with Dale. They were often rushed – she recalled him saying to her, once at the Great Northern _“I only have time for coffee,”_ – but any time that he was able, Dale made a full breakfast for himself: ham, syrup, eggs, toast with jam, coffee of course and grapefruit juice, to which Audrey was unfortunately allergic. If there was one thing that Audrey had known about Dale from the beginning, it was that he was a connoisseur of all things _food_.

As she snuck through the living room, Audrey thought of how she’d surprise Dale, putting her arms around him from behind, or leaning up against the doorway in mock seduction and saying a line from her favourite noir. Either way, the scenario would end in laughter, a quick kiss or two and twin mugs of steaming coffee. If she had given herself a moment more, she might have realized that she’d described heaven. But instead, she chose to announce her presence softly, sultry from behind the wall in living room. “I hope you made four cups worth of that coffee! Because I know you’ll drink at least three,”

Audrey expected that he’d call back something humorous. She expected to hear his warm chuckle, the one where she could see his eyes shining and it felt like she’d been wrapped in his arms, warm and secure.

What she didn’t expect was a brief shout, and a shriek followed by the crash of a mug on the floor. Alarmed, Audrey dashed to the doorway.  A pool of coffee was quickly spreading across the floor amidst the porcelain shards of one of their mugs, in front of two interlopers who were definitely not Dale, much less anyone Audrey knew.

“Who are you?” Audrey and the woman asked at the same time, while the man bent over, mumbling about a waste of perfectly good coffee. “You first,” Audrey said, pulling her robe closed further.

“I’m Shamrock, and this is my husband, Frank,” Shamrock replied, still wide eyed as Audrey knew herself to also be. Frank merely waved a hand in acknowledgement. “Who are you?”

“I’m Audrey,” Audrey stated plainly, if a little bit indignant. “I live here. I think you’ve got the wrong apartment,”

Frank stood, mug shards in hand, and the three eyed each other warily.

“This is my son’s place,” Frank sounded firm. “ _You’ve_ got the wrong apartment,”

“No, I don’t think so,” Audrey maintained. “I really do live here,”

“No, my son does,” Insisted Frank. Shamrock put out a placating hand.

“Now Frank-“

“Look, first of all, why are we whispering?” Audrey began. The three looked at each other askance. She passed a hand over her forehead, suddenly all the more aware of the necessity of her morning caffeine intake before beginning again in a normal voice. “The only way that we can both be right is if your son is Dale Cooper,”

Frank dropped the porcelain pieces and they shattered into even smaller parts. “You live with Dale?” He seemed utterly bewildered, even perplexed, but as he stood there, Audrey could see approval growing in his eyes. “Dale Bartholomew Cooper?”

Audrey kept a straight face. “Yes, I do,”

“ _My_ son?” the disbelief in Frank’s voice was palpable and Audrey felt her amusement return.

“Dark hair, green eyes, oh, about six foot. Works for the FBI Dale Cooper? Attached at the hip to his voice recorder, eats fifteen jelly donuts a day Dale Cooper?” She asked, trying to keep the laughter from her tone. Shamrock seemed to have picked up on her meaning, because she could tell that the woman was also attempting to school her reaction.

“That would be the correct Dale Cooper, wouldn’t it Frank?” She asked, stepping forward to embrace Audrey, who was far more surprised than she let on. “Now, let’s take care of this spill before it stains and then we can get to know each other a bit!” She released Audrey, leaving her with a last look at her sunny smile, before swooping down to take care of the shattered pieces. Audrey made for the paper towels, but Frank pushed her off.

“Nope, nope, let me get it. I dropped it after all,”

Audrey watched Dale’s father and stepmother as they worked fluidly together, and feeling a bit out of place, said, “I’ll put on another pot then,”

“That’s sweet of you dear, thank you,” Shamrock replied. “I can finish up here, Frank, you help Audrey,”

“Of course, sweetheart,” Frank smiled and shook his head fondly, but Audrey caught a certain sadness there. “Don’t think I’m unhappy, dear,” He said, to her, stepping around Shamrock who was busy with the last of the spill. “Just surprised. Dale...doesn’t tell me much,”

Together, the busied themselves with the making of coffee, ritualistic and mostly subconscious. All the while, Audrey took the time to assess the man who had raised Dale. She hadn’t ever really thought about it before - as strange as Dale could be on occasion, and as ‘larger than life’ as he had appeared to her at first, she’d half begun to think that he’d raised himself. In some ways, she thought, gazing thoughtfully at Frank Cooper’s countenance, he may have done.

Dale’s father had the same sable hair, but his eyes were a very bright, watery grey, the sort she had come to associate with Doctor Hayward - kind, understanding, sentimental - where Dale’s own green were sharp and assertive. Frank’s manner was mild, while Dale could be quite brusque, if only because of his lively and industrious nature.

As the percolator rumbled again, Dale’s father must have felt the weight of Audrey’s discerning stare, because he turned his kind eyes to her and smiled knowingly.

“If you’re looking for him in me, you won’t find much more than build and hair colour when it comes to our similarities,” Neither said anything for a moment, the silence filled by the sound of Shamrock’s humming. “He was always more like his mother, you know. Maggie. She was blonde, but they had the same eyes, and bearing. Movements. She died when he was twelve,”

“I’m sorry,” Audrey said, finding she actually meant it. “If he is anything like she was, I can understand why you fell in love with her,”

Frank smiled, and his eyes were still sad. “He’s a lot like her,” he repeated. Shamrock put a hand on his shoulder, the other holding three mugs at once by the handles.

“All cleaned up, and now we wait!” Her sunny smile injected a pleasant vibe into the atmosphere. Let’s sit down in the living room with breakfast for a while! I want to hear all about you, Audrey, dear!” She swanned off carrying two of the three plates of food she’d made up “Frank, you grab the other, would you?”

Frank and Audrey shared a knowing glance. He grabbed the other plate with one hand and put the other at Audrey’s back and together they followed her. Audrey, however, didn’t sit down. “You two get started, I’m just going to go get dressed,”

“Oh gosh, of course. Take your time honey, I can warm breakfast back up for you!” Shamrock waved her away.

“I won’t be long,” She answered with a laugh. As she picked her clothing for the day - a black pencil skirt and copper coloured, light weight sweater - Audrey analyzed the two. Easy-going Frank, sentimental and earnest, and sunny Shamrock, every bit the emulation of her new-age name. Quite the pair. Frank seemed like he wanted to connect with Dale, but didn’t know how, something which Audrey felt acutely, thinking about her own father. It was a familiar feeling, and she didn’t dwell too much on it. Logically, she knew that Shamrock probably knew very little of Dale, but she seemed to love him all the same. A small, laughing voice in her head was pointing out that the age difference between Shamrock and Frank parallelled her own with Dale. The Father and Son were a bit more similar than they thought.

Privately, she laughed, reveling in the thought that she had all day long to get to know them _without_ Dale around. Audrey suppressed an impish smile as she returned to the living room, where Frank and Shamrock were waiting with their breakfast, munching and chatting.

“-never tells me anything. Practically two years without a word and now he’s _living with a girl_! And not two words! Not even a letter! I hear more from Emmett!” Frank shook his head fondly. “But Dale’s always been a bit…”

Shamrock laid a hand on Frank’s arm. “My brother got married and didn’t tell anyone. Don’t feel so bad. And what about us? We eloped! He’s so used to playing things close to the chest with that job of his, he just doesn’t know any other way to be anymore,”

“But he was always reticent, Sweetheart. As he got older-”

Audrey made her presence know by walking pointedly into the room, and Shamrock turned to her immediately. “Food should still be nice and warm. And the coffee's done! Dig in dear!”

The breakfast plate Shamrock had designated for Audrey was sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch, next to Frank. She took her seat, a bit bashful, and immediately went for the steaming mug. A long sip was in order.

“You must have questions,” She stated, coffee resting in her hands, thinking about all she had overheard. “I won’t pretend that you don’t. Please, feel free to ask me anything, with the caveat, of course that you,” She turned to Frank, injecting her tone with geniality, “have to tell me at least one interesting story about Dale as a child. To be perfectly honest, he’s told me precious little and I need a bit of ammunition. He’s seen me in saddle shoes and that wasn’t even a year ago,”

Much to her surprise and gratification, Frank laughed aloud. “That’s a deal, for certain, Audrey,”

The questions were mundane, and much to Audrey’s surprise, more about herself than about Dale. She briefly went over how they met, and mentioned nothing of the experience which had brought them so close together, only satisfying their curiosity by admitting that their relationship, which had begun quickly, cooled just as fast before they found themselves together again.

“Now that sounds like Dale!” Frank shook his head fondly. “Dives headlong into things and then that pesky professionalism of his gets in the way of things,”

Audrey felt that they rested on the brink of _something,_  but didn’t try to push the issue. They’d moved on instead to her personal interests, her pursuits at University, the decision to go to Haverford, and many other things. Her own family she glossed over, only stating that she had an older brother, and two living parents.

Around noon Frank ran out for subs at his own insistence, leaving Audrey and Shamrock to their own devices. That ended up entailing Shamrock voicing Audrey’s own earlier thoughts about the Father and Son being more similar than they thought, the older woman pointing out their proclivities for young women almost half their ages. Frank returned to their conspiratorial smirking, drinks and plates ready and a scrabble board set up on the coffee table.

That was how Dale found them some hours later. He entered the apartment the way he did every day, with a salutation at the ready, but at the last moment, he heard other voices mingled with Audrey’s filtering into the short hallway from the living room.

“I’ll add Zeno onto that centric. Zenocentric - yes, with a Z, it means “measured with reference to the planet Jupiter”, with an x, it has a completely different meaning. Now, that’s 24 points times two because of the double word score. Write that down sweetheart. As I was saying before, we decided to blow up the mail box-”

“Audrey, sweetheart! I’m back from work!” Dale called, closing the door precisely loud enough to cut off his father’s tangent. How long had they been there, he wondered? How had their meeting with Audrey played out? Why had they come? He toed off his dress shoes and walked out into the living room.

“Hi Dale!” Audrey had walked towards the entryway in anticipation. Almost shyly he went to kiss her cheek, but, true to form, Audrey turned her head at the last minute, capturing his lips chastely but firmly. “Welcome home. Let me get you a cup of coffee. Refills, Shamrock? Frank?”

Without waiting for their response she made for the kitchen, leaving Dale alone with his father and stepmother. He’d seen it for what it was immediately - a kindness. Awkwardly, Dale cleared his throat. “Dad. Shamrock. Good to see you both,”

“We thought we’d surprise you with a little trip up,” It was Shamrock who spoke. She moved to embrace him and he returned the hug warmly. He’d always liked his father’s third wife, despite the fact that she wasn’t too much older than himself.

“Consider me surprised,” He replied, not unkindly. Frank moved forward next and they shook hands with a firm, grasp, identical in their earnestness. “When did you get here?”

“Early. I’m afraid we woke Audrey and gave her quite the scare this morning. And I might have broken your favourite mug.” Frank had the look of a man mortified at his own embarrassment. “She’s something else, your Audrey,”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Dale chose to ignore, for the moment, all the images going through his head of Audrey waking to strangers in the apartment. “How long are you staying then? I’ll need to run to the corner store in the morning to be sure we have groceries and-”

“Don’t worry about it Dale. Audrey and I already decided we’d go together tomorrow. Give you and Frank some time to catch up. Now. Take a seat. We’ll start this game over. You father is creaming us and maybe you can turn the tables on him,” Shamrock’s willowy form and angled, honey blonde hair glided back to the couch, one hand extended out towards him, like a lure on the slender fishing pole of her arm. Both Dale and Frank followed.

“I’ll do the very best I can, Shamrock. But you should know, I’ve not yet won a game against him,”

Frank fixed Dale with a long, deep look, which effectively unsettled him. “It’s been a long time. Maybe things have changed,” Dale swallowed, physically, at his father’s words. It was obvious he wasn’t truly talking about the Scrabble game.

“Maybe,” He echoed.

A moment later, Audrey reentered the room with a carafe of coffee and a fourth mug for Dale, which she set on the coaster next to her own. Before long, Dale found himself sandwiched between his step mother and Audrey, neck and neck in point value with his father. It was a strange feeling, having them all in one place, seemingly in full comfort with each other when he himself was not entirely settled. It had been over a year since his last letter to his father, and to have them show up without warning was a new thing for them - definitely not something that he would have anticipated prior. They still hadn’t explained exactly the scenario by which Audrey had discovered them in the apartment and were even more close lipped about what they had done the whole day long, but Dale suspected that much of what they had discussed had to do with himself, once they got all of their curiosity about Audrey out of the way. He supposed he would have to rely on her to fill him in, and, even then, he wasn’t entirely certain that she’d be forthcoming.

The game progressed with easy dialogue but Dale’s anxiousness bled through his calm exterior by way of his perpetually shaking leg. Audrey placed a slender hand on his knee to steady him, but kept her eyes on the game, pretending not to notice, either on purpose to spare his feelings, or because it was genuinely an unconscious response. He laid his hand on hers in response, rubbing his thumb against the side of her hand, the smoothness of her skin and the gentle pressure she exerted there coupled with his deepening engagement in the friendly competition eventually distracted him from his thought process.

“Oneiric,” Dale pronounced happily, placing his tiles down with a firm click. “Of or relating to dreams,” He gave his father a self satisfied smirk. “That’s nine points for the word and an extra fifty because I used all the tiles. And that, I believe, puts you firmly in second place,” Frank grumbled amidst Audrey and Shamrock’s laughter, but it was good natured. Dale turned to Shamrock. “There. Have I fulfilled my duty?”

“Most certainly,” She smiled at him fondly, but Dale didn’t miss the quick glance she gave between him and his father, the brief furrow of her brow.

“All right, all right. It’s late and you’ve definitely got me beat. I give!” Frank reclined in his seat, and pointed at Audrey. “This is all your fault you know. He’s got a reason to show off now,”

Over Audrey’s laugh, Shamrock exclaimed, indignant. “What am I? A reason to slack off?” But her eyes sparkled. The banter was warm, but unfamiliar and Dale felt a wistful sigh pass his lips and he closed his eyes for a moment. The hand on his knee squeezed and he came back to himself.

“I’m going to go make up the guest room. You three catch up,” Audrey stood to go, but Shamrock protested.

“I’ll help you. It’s only fair; you weren’t expecting us. You boys can pick up the game,”

With that, the two women disappeared into the other room, their voices only faint murmurs to Dale’s ear.  He leaned forward to swipe at the tiles, bringing them into a haphazard pile in the center of the board, while Frank emptied the tile racks into the burgundy velvet bag.

“What are you thinking about so hard over there, Dale?” The voice of his father was low and a bit rough, but more familiar to him than any of the contents of the room. “No, don’t answer that. I know what you’re thinking about. I’m thinking the same thing,”

Dale swallowed his response and kept plucking the tiles into his hand, knowing his father was right. He looked for a moment at his mother's little gold ring, which he wore always. The same one the Giant had taken and returned to him.

“So, Dale. Audrey…”

“What about Audrey?”

“What are your plans?”

“Isn’t that what _her_ father should be asking me?” The humour in his tone wasn’t even forced.

“Maybe, but it’s me asking and I expect an answer,”

Dale paused and looked up at his father, meeting his eyes full on for the first time that night. His gaze felt heavy, weighted down with seriousness, but Frank met it evenly. “What happened between Audrey and I in Twin Peaks was...intense. The circumstances were not ideal. I took three months leave and I’m still on desk duty. I haven’t left the office for work once,” He let his words take hold. “Audrey saved my life. If it weren’t for her I would quite literally be dead. Or worse,” He turned away, suddenly unable to match Frank’s stare. “She didn’t have to do what she did. I’d saved her life, before too. I’d say I’d rather she’d left me to die, because at least she’d have been safe, but I wouldn’t give this up for anything. Not for the whole world,” He methodically folded the board, and placed the cover on the box. “I love her absolutely,”

“Good,” They both sat back, listening to the sounds of the women in the other room. “Will I hear more from you?” Frank’s words were firm, but Dale knew the tentative lilt at the end of the sentence, the hope.

“Audrey will hold me to it,” He answered, still not looking back, not wanting to see the disappointment that was inevitably going to be there. “It’s better this way,”

“I know. Your job can get rough, but Dale, we’re in Colorado, not Philly and-”

“Please,” The ensuing silence was answer enough. After another quiet minute, Dale spoke again, offering the olive branch. “How long will you be in town again? I could take a couple of days off,”

“That would be nice. We’re here until Monday. Shamrock’s shop opens for the week on Tuesday so we’ll have to be back that morning,”

“I’ll call my boss and let him know, first thing,”

Shamrock was the first to come back to the room, closely followed by Audrey. “Everything is set for us. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you we were coming, but I have a very strong feeling that things worked out the way they were meant to,” She said, and held her hand out to Frank, who took it and stood. Shamrock kissed his cheek. “Well, we’re going to head off to bed for the night. I’ll make breakfast tomorrow at eight,”

“Night Dale, Audrey,”

“Goodnight,” The chorused back.

Dale was still sitting when the left, and Audrey walked over to him, a warm smile on her tired face. “Come to bed?” She asked. He looked up at her, with her imploring, blue eyes and the sweet mischief of her smile and the weight that had settled so heavily on his heart was lessened, though not gone.

“I love you, Audrey. Very much,”

“I love you very much too, Dale,” The light in her eyes betrayed her knowledge of his mood and he let his smile fall away, pressing his hands against the tops of his thighs as he stood. Without hesitation he took her in his arms, holding her tightly to him and her hand pressed to her back of his head. Dale let his head fall into the crook of her neck and they stood like that for some time, the only sound running water from the next room over and the ticking of her watch in his ear.

“I have to tell you,” She whispered. “about how I met Frank and Shamrock this morning. I’ll tell you when we’re in bed, right before you sleep,” _Trust me_ , her tone whispered to his heart.

“Okay Audrey,” He pressed the words into the flesh of her neck, his lips moving against skin. Her stance was firm, unwavering. She stood like a lighthouse in the fog, just as much his support as he was hers. Audrey pulled back, but kept her hand at the side of his face and when she finally turned, Dale captured her hand and let her lead him to their bedroom, already anticipating the story she had to tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dale's parents characteristics are taken from My Life My Tapes, as have been many of the background bits through the series. Lynnzee005 and I created the names, as his parents were never given them. Frank Allen Cooper and Margaret Ann Cooper nee Grey. Shamrock is the name given to Dale's second stepmother and Emmett the name of his older brother in the book. The mailbox incident is detailed in the book, as are the circumstances of Dale's Mom's death.


	5. "I'm Fine,"

“There’s a leaf in your hair,” His hand went automatically up to her raven tresses. Audrey only smiled her ruby lips, waiting patiently as Cooper removed the errant leaf. When he brought his hand back down, he did not drop the leaf, instead, twirling it by the stem. It was a bright shade of yellow-orange, sunny in compliment to the pleasant day that surrounded them, perhaps one of the last truly warm days of the season before winter inevitably set in. It had been his idea, to have a picnic on campus. Students milled about, paying no attention to the couple sitting on the plaid blanket down by the duck pond.

Audrey’s gaze, too, was fixed on the languid twirl of the maple leaf  between Cooper’s fingers. He looked up at her after a moment. A gentle breeze brushed strands of hair across her face.

“What are you thinking about?”

“About home, I guess,” She said before meeting his eye. “Fall is so different here. The smell…it’s beautiful. Intoxicating, like opening an old book, or taking spice bread out of the oven. Everything at home smells of-“

“Pines,” They said together.

“They are some kind of wonderful, those trees,” They both grew silent, contemplative. There was little need for words between them. After all that had occurred, after all they had gone through together, the peaceful moments were the ones they both seemed to live for.

Audrey stretched out her legs and propped herself up, palms flat to the ground, before resting her head on his shoulder. Cooper felt the weight of her sigh, a gentle exhale of contentment lifting and falling in pressure on his shoulder. Her presence was a soothing balm on his soul. They understood one another in ways that defied words after the ordeal in the Black Lodge. On average, they spoke plenty, bantering good-naturedly with one another just as often as they exchanged words he now considered “domestic”. They were _domestic._

Before they had left Twin Peaks following the Fourth of July celebrations, their life together had already been on this road; in point of fact, the destination had been nearly met. Audrey’s choice to defer college for a semester had left them on the Trans-Canadian Highway, and while interpersonal domesticity had been achieved before long, there were certain aspects that could only be experienced by living together in the long term. During the last months Cooper had spent in Twin Peaks, his temporary apartment only halfway fulfilled that stipulation. Audrey still had another home, had parents living in town, and school to attend and duties required of her. Her life was split from his own, despite the utterly exorbitant amount of time they spent together, learning one another, overcoming the scars of their ordeal.

Their apartment in Philadelphia was another story entirely. They both inhabited the space full time, their personal items inseparably intermixed within the first month of their cohabitation. In that environment, they moved in tandem, a harmony that could only be learned over time.

The picnic, however, was new.

“Let’s do something spontaneous!” Audrey exclaimed one day, having thrown down her pencil onto the rather large literature compendium open before her.

“You want to _plan_ something spontaneous, Audrey?”

“Dale, you know what I mean,” She’d only rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. The sparked with amusement. Of course, Cooper had known exactly what she meant.

Thus, the picnic.

Between his return to work (“DESK DUTY ONLY, COOPER. I WANT YOU IN TIP TOP CONDITION BEFORE I LET YOU BACK INTO THE FIELD, CAPISHE?”) and her first term of college, life’s daily routine had been firmly micromanaged to the last second. And Audrey was anything but a creature of routine.

Thus, the picnic.

He shifted closer to her, felt the warmth of the sun rising off of her skin.

“The Pines don’t die, they’re ever-green. Here, everything is in death throes, but only because it will bring new life,” Audrey allows the words to tumble from her mouth. “But what’s a whole forest of green compared to two weeks of this?”

“Two weeks of anything with you would be more than worth it, Audrey,” Cooper smiled, mischievous.

“Dale, stop it,” She laughed back, a stunning blush growing across her ivory cheeks. “Flattery get you-“

“Everywhere and you know it,” He needled her, a fond smile falling over his features. “You know I’m right,”

He was flat on his back, staring up into her eyes before he could blink. Audrey Horne, force of nature.

“You’re right, Dale,”

Their lips met, following the gentle patterns established by their continued intimacy. Audrey’s finger’s, gentle whispers of touch, barely danced at his neck, and shoulders. He closed his eyes and immersed himself in the sensations, letting the surroundings fall away.

Bliss.


	6. “Same time tomorrow?”

Audrey practically sprinted across campus to make it there on time. Dale was waiting in his black sedan when she got there, panting and half out of breath. She wrenched open the car door and flung herself inside, desperate to get away from the rain.

“Audrey! You’re soaked,” He protested, his hands waving generally in the air, unsure of what to do to help.

“it’s too late for all that. I’ll be fine. But I’m starved!” She pushed her sopping hair out of her face, revealing a smile as she wrung it out before tucking it behind her ears. “Where are we going?”

“I’m tempted to say home,” Dale said, still looking at her with fond concern. “You’ll catch your death like that,”

“You know Dale,” Audrey said. “No one ever really died of getting caught in the rain,”

His brows met in a deep ‘v’ over the bridge of his nose. “That, I’m not entirely sure is true, but I’ll let it go for now,” Concern still etched on his face, as he put the car into gear, he said. “Are you sure you don’t want to make a stop at the apartment?”

“Yes, I’m sure, it’ll be fine,” She looked up at him to emphasize her point. “Really, Dale, it’s sweet, but right now, I’m starving,”

“Okay. Food it is then,”

Wipers going full blast, he pulled out of the lot, signaling appropriately.

“You still haven’t told me where we’re going, you know,” Audrey said as she reached to the center console to fiddle with the heating controls. “Last night you said that you had someplace in mind,”

“It’s a surprise,” When the smile lit up his face, Audrey could see, even his eyes were happy. The emotion was contagious and despite feeling like a drowned rat, Audrey smiled again too.

“Give me a hint?” Her delicate fingers rested on his forearm, stroking gently at the skin just above his cuff. She put on the most sultry look she could muster. “Please, Dale?”

“You’ll see,” He smiled, a bit goofily at her and she couldn’t resist giggling a little at him in return. It warmed her to see just how happy he was, that he couldn’t contain it within him. That it had to escape through the creases at the corners of his eyes, or the twitch at the corner of his lips. Her heart soared like it always did when his emotions were expressed in those minute, insignificant ways.

A smile played across her own lips as her fingers left his wrist and move up to the back of his neck.

“Did you have a nice day?”

“It was good,” He began. The question never failed to illicit some sort of in depth response and Audrey found herself wondering, frequently, if he’d been the same way as a child, answering the eternal parental question ‘how was school?’, with some detailed answer about some obscure philosopher or stratagem. “Today I had to run down to the morgue, because Albert wasn’t quite finished with the body but we eventually discovered that what we previously assumed to be a – “

As Dale went on, he eventually crossed into territory beyond Audrey’s understanding and though she half turned him out, she was still immensely grateful that he felt so free to share. Anyone else in her life might have brushed her aside by that point, but Dale, ever the enthusiast, could go on for hours, patiently explaining the particulars of some procedure or another simply because he found it so interesting himself.

Content to listen to him talk, and also pleased that her understanding of some of his more frequently used terminology and acronyms was growing, she laid back against the headrest. She was still chilled but the warm air was blowing concentratedly on her and slowly but surely, she felt the warmth return to her cheeks.

“So, all in all, it was decent. Oh! And Diane brought extra jelly filleds for me today, though she didn’t say why,” Audrey coloured at his observation, keeping a private smile inward at the reminder of her small conspiracy with his secretary.

“That was nice of her. Maybe she just felt as though you needed it,”

His eyes narrowed as he threw a glance in her direction. “You didn’t call her at work, did you, Audrey?” He asked.

“Not at work, no,”

He raised his brows. “But you did call her,”

“Maybe,” Audrey’s grin was mischievous. “I ordered them, and Diane picked them up,” She fessed after another glance.

Unable to conceal is smile, Dale instead chose to look out the other window. “I’ll have to let Albert know. He appreciated them too,”

“You’re telling me you didn’t eat them all,” Her eyes glowed with mirth and he looked to her in mock offence.

“Of course not!” His defense was poor and they both had a laugh.

The car turned onto a small side road. Not much farther down the way was a little Italian place, much to Audrey’s pleasure. Karma, it appeared, was on their side, for, right as they drove up, near the entrance, another vehicle was leaving. Quickly he grabbed a parking spot, grinning at Audrey for a quick, silent moment, then opened his car door, sliding out and opening his umbrella simultaneously. He circled the car to come up alongside her door.

She followed suit, exiting underneath the security of the umbrella. Over the thrumming pummel of raindrops she said. “I don’t think this is going to make much of a difference for me, but thank you!”

“I couldn’t let you get more wet, Audrey,” The seriousness of Dale’s tone was as endearing as ever. Audrey felt light, despite the weight of her still damp clothing. Dale pulled open the door of the restaurant, holding it for her as she scooted in underneath his arm, he not far behind. They both brushed themselves off, Dale shaking the sodden umbrella with some force.

The hostess seated them, offering to get Audrey a towel after looking her over with a pitiful glance. When the woman returned, Audrey thanked her and excused herself to the bathroom to dry off a bit. The bathroom was empty save for two elderly women who stood at the mirror at the far end. Both had bright scarves tied over their hair, protection for their perms from the rain.

_“Ant I tolt Dafeed det if he wanted to get good job, he talk to Rodney,”_

_“And did he?”_

_“Oh, ya, he vent down to det pier and when came beck, he hed fifty-tousend cesh!”_

_“Fifty-tousend? Cesh? Did he put it in de bank, or?”_

_“No, no, Dafeed tells me he take cesh to det house he tells me about and offers to buy! Says they take it!”_

_“No!”_

_“Ya!”_

Audrey wrung out her dress one last time, and toweled her hair briefly before leaving to return the towel and then to her seat.

“You look much better, Audrey. Do you feel better?” Dale asked her as she did so.

“Vastly improved! I promise!” She leaned in over the table, conspiratorially. “Though I think I just heard two little old ladies discussing some shady dock-side business…”

“Did you?” He asked with mock curiosity. She laughed in response.

“Actually, though I did. But I don’t think it’s anything we need to be worried about. Now,” She leaned back in the booth again. “tell me why we had to come out today of all days?” Something flashed across his face that Audrey couldn’t identify but her heart seized with terror as she watched the shadow pass, covered by a smile, a bit too wide.

“I just thought it would be nice, us two, having lunch. Something out of the ordinary. Because, you, Audrey, are anything but ordinary. You deserve…extraordinary. Which the food they serve here is,” He brushed off her question easily, but seemed sincere, so Audrey allowed herself to forget the passing moment. He would tell her, if it was something important, when he was ready.

“I do have something extraordinary, Dale. I have you,”

He flushed at her response and inwardly, Audrey preened to see what she could do without even trying. They were comfortable with one another, to be certain. Their jaunt in Canada had done that much for them, but, especially in public, it was easy to get him wound up. A dark, devious part of Audrey made note to take advantage of it sometime. The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and she mentally pushed it aside for later.

Lunch was over far more quickly than Audrey would have liked, and, by the end she’d forgotten about the strange reaction Dale had to her question. The rain had stopped, thankfully, by the time he’d returned her to campus. She leaned over the center console to give him a kiss.

“Same time tomorrow?” She asked, cheekily. He looked at her strangely then, and she almost remembered the fleeting moment in the restaurant, but it was gone so quickly that it didn’t quite register.

“How about next week, Audrey?” He asked.

She brightened, then settled into a professional demeanor. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Agent Cooper,”

She got out and watched as he pulled out, waving goodbye before heading back onto campus for her next lecture, the lingering warmth of his smile seated comfortably within her heart for the rest of the day.


	7. "You're too young to hate the world,"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Audrey struggles with some news and imparts some on Dale in turn. Sex ensues...eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written because @Lynnzee was disappointed by tonights installment, and I felt inspired by the Queen's return.

Usually when he got home that late from work (whatever work entailed that evening, whether it be stakeout or paperwork or interrogation) she would be asleep. She got up early every morning with him, and so she permited herself to sleep before he was home, trusting that he’ll return, whole, and in one piece, to kiss her in the morning, the mint taste of last night’s toothpaste long faded away.

That evening, when Dale Cooper returned home, Audrey was still awake.

The light was off, and she was under the covers, and he’d thought her to be sleeping and went about his nightly routine. Only upon his return to the bed, dressed in just sleep pants rather than a whole set (having a partner makes it too warm to sleep otherwise) did he realize that she was awake, watching him silently. Only the gleam of her eyes in the soft light gave her away.

The look in her eyes was soft, but calculating. It wasn't one he’d seen there before and Dale’s pulse ratcheted up a notch in mild anxiety. Audrey wasn't usually difficult to read, not because she was shallow, as she once had asked, but rather because she didn't mask her emotions, especially not with him. She’d always been the forthright one and he the more reticent. So the inability to know what she was feeling, if not what she was thinking, bothered him.

“You’re awake,” He stated simply, unsure what else he could possibly say under the circumstances.

Audrey didn’t reply, choosing instead to roll from her side to her back, lifting the covers in invitation for him to join her. Dale did as she bid him, still waiting for her to say something. He lay on his back as well, and imagined what they would look like from above, lying there together, both looking up at the ceiling, arms folded over their stomachs, the mirror images of one another. The expression on her imaginary face was indiscernible.

“How was work?” He heard, but it wasn’t what she had asked. The tone she used would normally accompany a statement such as _how was work_ and he normally would have replied with a far more involved answer than she was looking for but that wasn’t the question she’d asked. Wasn’t the words she’d used. She hadn’t said _how was work_ at all, even if the casual nature of her tone suggested it. Dale’s brain short circuited as he tried to wrap his head around what it was she’d actually said, tried to apply context to the perplexing arrangement of syllables she’d decided to casually dispense to him.

She repeated her question, in the same tone, without any extra inflection, as if to reinforce her point. That time, Dale had the presence of mind to sit up and face her, his emotions quite plainly displayed for her to see. He blinked rapidly, then set about actually looking at her, rather than just facing her. Her eyes held no tells, her features perfectly schooled. No amusement or confusion marred her forehead. She waited, not impatiently, but not complacently. Audrey sat up next to him and spoke again, this time with less flippancy, more deliberately, more statement that time than question.

“Do you want children,”

He could have kicked himself but he opened his mouth before a response had proper time to form and spoke. “Are you pregnant?”

That won him a laugh, but he still couldn’t read her intention. It wasn’t a laugh he’d heard in a long while from her, the kind that was bitter, older than her years should allow, all too wizened to the cruelty of the world.

“No,” The answer was simple and he breathed easier at her honesty. “Were you afraid?” The question fell from her lips without concern, and laced with something akin to cruelty. It had that same bitten tone, wary like a lone wolf, and he was more concerned with it, than he had been with her initial question. If she had been pregnant…they would have figured something out, whatever that something may have ended up being. But she wasn’t. There was intention behind her words. Intention and something raw, like an exposed nerve surrounded by hard callous.

It was then that he realized why the look in Audrey’s eyes had bothered him so much. It had contained a coldness, instead of its usual spark.

“We would have worked something out,” He didn’t answer either of her questions, and he knew she saw his non-response for what it was.

“You do. You want children. I thought you would. It seemed like something you would want,” And that was when it hit him, the peculiarity of her tone. Loathing. A hint of self-depreciation. Misdirected…

“What happened?” Dale asked, all his previous uncertainty vanishing. She was cold because she had to be. A veneer, a protective layer, barring her against the world, keeping out the hurt. He recognized the tough façade, and made to soften it. She wasn’t intending her cruelty on him, he was just collateral damage she hadn’t even realized she’d been creating.

Audrey looked straight ahead, and her profile was rigid against the light from the windowpane, painting her in the harsh colour of the streetlight outside.

“My father called. He and my mother are divorcing,”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Audrey,” His response was reflexive and automatically he regretted the tone, too similar to the way he used to speak to her, before, but Dale didn’t know how to fix any of it, so he waited, listening to her light, even breaths.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s been a long time coming, though. I’m shocked it didn’t happen years ago,”

He tried to project a sympathetic aura and hoped she’d feel the weight of his empathy, unable as he was to properly articulate it. Audrey’s head turned to the window, and only the back of her was visible to him, shadowed, but present. The curvature of her waist, the slight outline of her breasts, the gentle slope of her shoulder, the poised set of her neck.

“You’re right. I do. Want children,” He confessed quietly, watching her for the most minute change in posture. She didn’t betray herself at all, completely unmoving. Dale sighed, so slightly it was almost silent. He wanted to reach out an arm to touch the soft skin of her back, but he held off, his arm immobile at his side, his prized intuition telling him that to touch her in such a moment would be devastating.

She was absolutely rigid. Still and composed, but rigid. He couldn’t imagine her face, and it bothered him, but he pushed it away.

“I don’t want children. Ever.”

He swallowed, closed his eyes, breathed out his nose. It didn’t surprise him in the least, but processing her response was still difficult. Sometimes the punches that hurt the worst were the ones he could see coming. Despite that, the final one caught him unprepared and hurt just as badly, but in a different way. She’d moved faster than he’d been able to react, her legs straddling his hips, her mouth firm against his, pressing so hard it was bruising, her hands clawing hard against the bare skin on his shoulders. Dale had barely begun to respond when Audrey pulled away, pushing against his chest firmly. Dale lay back in response, allowing her the dominance, the control she so obviously needed, was practically clinging to, desperate to maintain some hold on herself, desperate to cause pain, even if it wasn’t really meant for him.

The whole of her weight, slight though it was, was bearing down on him, her palms pressed flat against his chest, the perfect crescents of her nails stinging into the flesh there and her knees biting into his sides. Audrey’s chest was heaving as she breathed, the short quick breaths of someone who had rapidly expended a limited about of energy, still keyed up on adrenalin. Her head hung low, the short dark hair curtaining around her face. Undaunted, Dale gazed into her eyes. The stone cold look remained, and even though he knew it’s cause, and was moderately aware of the turmoil concealed there, the fury she exuded was cold.

“Are you mad?” She asked him. Dale hoped that his relief didn’t show on his face.

“No,” Disappointed maybe, but not mad. She didn’t want children, and it was her choice, her body. Not his. Never his. The look she gave him was incalculable, so he took a chance, lifted his head the short distance and met her lips. His chaste kiss met with teeth. Audrey nipped his lip, a little harder than she would have otherwise. “I’m not mad at you. I can’t be,”

“Why not?” That was it. She wanted his ire, wanted him to react, so that she could do so in like. Wanted the harsh bite and press of anger.

He refused to give it to her.

“Because that’s not my decision to make,”

As soon as he spoke, he knew that she’d already been certain of his answers. All of them, from his admission that yes, he’d always desired children to his reasoning why he wasn’t upset. She let up, sitting back, her palms leaving white handprints on his chest where they’d rested so firmly. A weight was lifted from her face. Audrey didn’t look vulnerable, or breakable. She just looked tired. Finally, he reached his hand up and brushed a gentle finger across her cheek.

“You’re too young to hate the world,”

“Stop that,” Dale could tell from her tone she was close to breaking, despite appearances. “I don’t want you to be kind,”

“I know,”

She attacked his mouth with hers again, but he pressed tenderness into her sharpness, and gentleness into the harshness of her touch and eventually she slumped boneless over him, her head lying at the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

There would be no tears, he knew that. Audrey was holding back firmly in that regard and he didn’t blame her for it. Dale’s hand found the back of her neck, petted at her hair as he waited for her breathing to even out.

Eventually, she rolled off of him and left the bed, not bothering with the silk robe or the lamplight, simply walking out of the room, nude and in the dark. Dale watched her go, still not entirely certain of what to expect from her. He got up and followed her pathway. Audrey was in the kitchen, the window thrown open, a lit cigarette dangling from her fingers, the percolator already gurgling away in the dark silence.

The end of the cigarette flared orange and red and a curl of smoke wafted from between her lips and out of the room into the night.

“I wouldn’t, you know, smoke in here normally, or anything,” She says, sounding for once so much more like the teen she still is. More like the girl he’d first met, who’d asked him about her ring. They’d come such a long ways since then.

“I know,”

Dale retrieved two mugs from the cabinet, and waited, leaning against the counter, watching the cigarette spark and burn away.

“Why’d they wait?” She asked. “Why’d they fucking wait till I was gone? They should have divorced a long time ago. I can’t remember the last family dinner where they didn’t snipe at each other. They should have just gotten it fucking over with after Johnny’s accident,”

“People often do things they don’t understand,” He replied tentatively.

She turned her head sharply at that. “Don’t patronize me, Dale,” Audrey warned coolly.

“I’m not, Audrey. Really I’m not,” Only his earnest, entreating tone of voice seemed to convince her, there in the dark where neither of their expressions were discernable.

“It would have been kinder if they’d never had us. Me and Johnny, I mean,” Dale heart ached, but he didn’t object. “And that’s why I don’t want children,” She’d always been fairly succinct and to the point. The evening had taken a lot out her and Audrey just didn’t have the patience to hold out any longer, so it seemed.

“I know,” He said again. Because it was true. He did know, understood her reasoning. Saw that it came from a deep, festering place in her heart that rarely was brought to the surface.  Rejection and neglect. Loved less by her own father than Laura Palmer, reviled by the mother who blamed her for her brother’s accident (why and how she’d never elaborated).

The cigarette crackled a bit as it smoldered, and Dale poured the coffee as Audrey took a long, deep drag, let it out slow. The tension was winding itself from her shoulders – Dale could see it in her posture. He went to her side, offering her a mug and taking a drink from his own. Dark, black and strong enough to pull them both back into the rationality long banished by sleep deprivation and the particular anxiety surrounding the topic of their discussion.

Audrey sipped at it, the cig still balanced supremely between her index and middle fingers with the casual grace only found through habituation.

“I will stand by your decision. But, for what it’s worth, I don’t think you could ever end up like your parents,” The mug was almost scalding against the tender flesh of his palm, but he wrapped his fingers around it all the same, holding it there, willing it to sear focus into him. “I love you, Audrey. No matter what,”

She set down the coffee, stubbed out the cigarette on the handle and flicked it out the window. The kiss she placed on him in the moment directly afterwards was demanding, but lacked the same steely edge that had characterized them moments prior. She was still rigid, but far less tense, and Dale let his arms encircle her tenderly but firmly, as he returned the kiss. When he pulled away, it was only to pepper kisses down her jaw, leaving her breathless in their wake. He chose a tender spot on her neck, where more often than not she liked him to leave a bruise, her pulse fluttering as he did so.

Hands scraped down and over his shoulder blades, not sharp, just _sensation_. In response, Dale walked her back until she made contact with the wall, bareing her neck to him still as he lathed at the spot, trying to soothe her the only way he knew she’d let him. For once allowing himself to use his height as an advantage over her, Dale pressed Audrey where she stood, his forearms making contact with the wall, boxing her in, and leaning above her considerably. Dale looked down to her, and she up at him, desire for him and need for _something_ shining in her gaze.

Audrey’s hands trailed down his chest and then up to his face briefly before they encircled his neck and she clung to him in desperate embrace. He lowered one arm, wrapping it around her waist to pull her closer. Shuddering breaths fell lightly against his ear before Audrey extricated herself from him, took his hand and led him away from the cooling coffee and back to their bedroom.   

When they were first learning each other in Twin Peaks, he had been the mostly dominant figure in bed, and then, somewhere along the line, it had transitioned, with Audrey taking continually bolder first steps in their sexual relationship. This, he was certain, was essentially a factor of her growing experience. He hadn’t questioned it, nor found himself unhappy with the way she tended to push him back against the mattress and straddle him all in one fluid movement. Not that they didn’t switch things up, just that they both seemed to prefer it, her sitting atop him, controlling the pace effortlessly, to all appearances at least, looking down at him like she was the Queen of Sheba, he free to look at her and lose himself utterly, touch her, all over, trace his hands gentle over the expanse of her back, the supple flesh of her buttocks or breast. He adored the way she felt when she would collapse atop him, boneless but still seated.

This night, it was he who led her to lay down, and settled between her legs, one arm bracing him over her while the other slid down her stomach to her apex in light ghosting touches that left the fine hairs on her body standing on end and her pupils blown wide with arousal. His fingers found her wet heat and his thumb the sensitive mound of flesh and pressed, just the way he knew would make her keen in response.

“I’m glad you’re here, Audrey,” Dale said, his meaning implicit. He punctuated the statement with a smooth thrust of his fingers, leaving her arching into him at the touch, at the simple sentiment in his words.  Her heels anchored themselves against the back of his upper thighs, and pressed, expressing her urgency, her want, her need, and Dale complied.

She scrabbled at the sheets when he removed his fingers, but was left gasping when he pressed into her. Audrey’s hands flew to his neck again, pulling him down, and the muscles of her legs contracted, pushing him down deeper. Their foreheads were touching and he could see the moment when the last trace of steel fell away and Audrey let herself fall fully into the moment, and the movement. His rhythm was slow, luxurious, just the opposite of what she had wanted so desperately earlier. Now, she reveled in it, kissing him languidly.

Their lips still brushing, he heard her whispered _I love you_ , and whispered it back in return. A hand found its way to her breast, massaging the flesh there for a moment before moving it up through her curls and allowing his weight to fall on it again, his thumb close enough to rub gentle circles at her temple even as her breath started to hitch and his hips began to stutter and loose the languorousness of the pace.

Audrey’s climax came slowly, small wave after wave of building and receding intensity until she was still, save for the muscles that clenched his length reflexively. A few thrusts later, he joined her, falling to lay at her side even as she curled in towards him, holding him close to her.

He stroked her hair, kissed the top of her head.

“I love you,” Dale said again.

“Thank you,” Audrey replied. It was a thank you without direction, an acknowledgement of all that had passed between them and it was enough that Dale knew she was going to be alright despite everything.

“I haven’t changed my mind, and I know that you’re not trying to make me, but-“

“I know, Audrey. It’s okay,” He cut her off, but she reached up and pressed a finger to his lips.

“Sometimes, things need to be said,” She stated, her own earnestness showing. “Thank you for understanding. And for your belief in me,”

“Always,” He replied.

“Dale,”

“Yes?”

“I don’t hate the world,”

A dreamy smile crossed Dale’s face, but within moments, both had drifted off into slumber, curled into one another in tender release.

 

 

 

 


	8. “Don’t look at me like that!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is explicit.

Dale Cooper was absolutely fuming. She’d left no note, no message on the phone. Not even a word with the lady in the apartment across from them. She’d never done that before, and he was out of his mind with worry, the worst case scenarios popping into his head before all the mundane explanations could even begin to calm his generally rational mind. He was on edge from work, and still flighty from his experience in the Black Lodge, and generally (if he were being fully honest with himself) not firing fully on all pistons. Yet.

But he hadn’t been rational, or calm, or honest with himself.  He hadn’t even tried. He’d rushed out of the apartment, called out a watch on their license plate number (unsure of whether to thank the powers that be that he’d carpooled that day) and set about like he was on a fully sanctioned missing persons case.

When he found her, all of the fear and anxiety and worry curdled with anger.

“What the _hell_ are you doing here, Audrey?”

She swiveled her barstool out towards the rest of the room, drink in hand. One of her finely shaped brows rose, disappearing into the swoop of her bangs. She rested her elbows on the bar behind her.

“Having a drink, Dale,” She said slowly, dangerously. “With some friends from class,” She sipped the drink. “What are _you_ doing here?”

Dale’s jaw was clenched tightly, the vein at his temple throbbing slowly.

“Audrey. Can we talk about this somewhere more private,” His voice was strained, and his eyes were cold. Fearless, she matched his gaze.

“No. We can talk right here, perfectly fine, like a nice, civilized couple. Because until you tell me what this is all about, I’m not going anywhere,” He held himself removed, impeccable, under her gaze. His featured were almost emotionless, save for a tiny crease in his brow where his anger furrowed it.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” She scoffed, rolling her eyes at him.

“Now. I mean it Audrey,” His voice was low, as low as he could make it and ensure she still hear him talking over the music. She only laughed at his words, throwing her head back in disbelief.

“I think, Dale, that the last thing you want to do is sound like my father, so I suggest you stop talking now and tell me _what the hell_ you’re so pissed about,” Venom dripped from her words. She had set the drink down, and was sitting quite straight on the stool, steely eyed. Dale bristled at her accusation.

“I didn’t know where you were,” He started. “You didn’t leave any word. At all. What was I supposed to think, Audrey? What the hell was I supposed to do? And then to find you _here_! Of all places, Audrey, goddamn it, a _bar?!_ You’re not even twenty one and I’m a federal agent, Audrey do you have any idea what-“

“All this because I didn’t leave a note? Dale, I came straight here from campus! You said it was going to be a late night for you, that you might not make it home until tomorrow because of the case! Why would I leave a note? Why would I-“

“I don’t care! I don’t care what your reasoning is, damn it Audrey I can’t believe that you would-“

She slapped him, hard across the cheek. Pain blossomed, stinging like fire.

“What is going on with you Dale?” She asked, her voice rising. “You’ve been acting so strange. On edge, I thought maybe it was my imagination. But this?! It’s ridiculous. What is going on? Tell me now. Now, Dale,” She was standing, so short compared to him, but, irrationally, she intimidated him in that moment, enough that the cloud of anger that had dissipated a bit when she slapped him was finally clearing. Audrey, still firm, must have noticed the change in him. “Dale?” There was a tremor in her voice.

“I’m back on violent crimes,” He confessed suddenly, without warning.

“You’re what?!” Shock crossed her face like lightening.

“I asked to be put back on violent crimes,”

“God, Dale,” She softened, reaching out her hand, and then, pulled back. “Why didn’t you tell me? That’s important! What if, what if you -  oh god, Dale, why didn’t you tell me?” He didn’t respond. All the fight had left him, and her too, it seemed. Audrey’s eyes searched him piercingly. “Let’s go home,” She said, and walked past him towards the exit without so much as another word. He glanced around. All eyes were on them. He closed his eyes and breathed out heavily before following her.

* * *

The ride back to their apartment was tense. Audrey drove, both hands firmly on the wheel at two and ten, eyes staring doggedly ahead, breaths quiet and even. Dale looked away from her and at his hands where they lay in his lap.

Two blocks away from the apartment, her voice broke the silence. “I’m sorry I was drinking. It was stupid, but I just wanted to have a little bit of fun. Different fun. I’m an adult in every other way. It’s hard sometimes,” He let the words sink in, but didn’t speak. She risked glancing at him. Then, very quietly, carefully, asked “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Dale swallowed.

“Because I knew I wasn’t ready yet. And I didn’t…I didn’t want to be reminded of that truth,”

“You knew I’d counsel you against it,” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. He only nodded in response.

They drove another block in silence.

“I’m going to request that I be-“

“I think you should stay on the-“

They spoke together, and, hearing the sentences each had begun, looked sharply over at one another.

“You think I should stay in the division?” He asked, genuine surprise in his tone.

“You might not be ready yet, but…” She rolled her shoulders back, as if trying to become physically more comfortable with her words, and put the car in park. “It’s like what they say about riding horses. You just have to get back on, or you might not ever,” She looked at Dale, a fierce look in her eyes. “You’re good at this Dale. I think it’s what you’re meant to do. And if you don’t try again, you’ll regret it forever,”

He reached out a hand to her, rubbing his thumb tenderly across her cheek.

“Thank you for believing in me. I’m sorry I made a scene,”

“Was it the case?”

He nodded in the affirmative.

“Well, we’ll just have to get through it together,” She replied, as if the matter was settled.

And it was.

* * *

They didn’t speak after they got out of the car. Not when they reached the building, not when they got into the hall.

Audrey shrugged off her coat.

“Dale…”

He pushed her up against the door as he closed, hands on her shoulders, his lips stifling further talk. It was heated kiss, pressing and warm and enduring. It lasted several long minutes until he was strapped for breath and had to pull away.  He lay his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling, hot and misty.

“I’m sorry,”

“Me too,”

“I shouldn’t have said those things,”

“I shouldn’t have done what I did,”

His hands ran down her arms, thumbs rubbing at soft skin. He nuzzled his nose to hers, leant in to capture her lips again. Audrey’s form sighed against him, her arms coming up and under his arms, resting on his shoulders, pulling him down and in close to her, her body pressed tight to him. When his lips moved down to her ear, to her neck, he could feel the whisper of breath on his ear, like soft words.

Dale strained to hear, desperate for the boon of her words.

“God, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you,” Her body moved beneath his, like a wave on his shore, fluid. His hands roved across her body, down her form. He hitched a hand under her left thigh, hiking it up, lifting and feeling there at the soft flesh.

Audrey’s hands came to frame Dale’s face. They locked eyes and something was spoken between them without words. Dainty fingers began to undo each button of his shirt, slid the fabric back off his shoulders, tugged the undershirt out of his slacks and rucked her fingers underneath, nails catching at the musculature hidden there.

In one fluid movement, he lifted her and she complied, legs hitching up over his hips, Audrey’s heels clattering to the floor. Dale ran his hand over her back, up to her neck, into her raven hair, soft tresses carded beneath his fingers. Staggering, he walked them down the hall, through to the bedroom. When his knees hit the mattress, he wavered, and let them fall forward onto the bed. He braced his arms around her, dispersing his weight, still working his lips at her mouth as he toed off his shoes.

The rest of their clothing was removed without issue, their focus entirely on each other and nowhere else. Not on the alarm clock that was knocked off the nightstand, or the magazine that flopped to the floor. Before he knew it, he was on his back, Audrey straddling his hips, the heat of her center pressed against his lower abdomen, her hands pushing his shoulders down, the weight of her bearing on him.

She leant over him, hair falling against the line of her jaw, lifted her hips, lowered herself.

They gasped in tandem at the pressure and the heat. Dale gazed up at Audrey in awe, at the pertness of her breasts, at the soft, open fullness of her mouth, at her eyelashes where they fluttered against her cheek. The moment suspended between inhale and exhale. She moved.

“God,” He gasped out. “I love you, oh god,” His hips canted up to meet hers as she came back down with force. It wasn’t tender, but it was beautiful, the way she looked above him, painted in blue from the way the light fell across her face, across her chest and stomach, like she was made of light and shadow instead of flesh. Dale’s heart welled up with each movement, with each exhale that fell from her lips soft as the whisper of a petal dropping from a flower.

She altered her angle, searching for greater friction, moving more quickly, urging him on in return. Several rough thrusts later she shuddered, muscles tightening around him. Dale jackknifed, hands gripping her hips bruising tight and came within her. On reflex he closed his eyes. They weren’t shut long, but when he opened them Audrey was looking down at him, her eyes clear and bright.

“I went to hell and back for you, Dale. And I would do it again. Don’t shut me out,”

“I won’t,” He was full of wonder at her, at each aspect of her. “I won’t,”


	9. “I think I twisted my ankle…”

“Diane, it’s 12:09pm, October 8th. I think I’ve twisted my ankle. This is most unfortunate, seeing as I was supposed to take Audrey to her dance this evening. I’m not entirely sure, though. I’ve rolled it, that much I know, and the sensation of my ankle swelling inside my black dress sock is distasteful to say the least. I was very much looking forward to this dance, as I never attended one of my own during my days at Haverford, having been quite indulgent in other varieties of social functions, generally on Bryn Mawr’s campus. It’s hard to believe that Haverford is co-ed these days. Audrey’s picked the most beautiful dress; it’s a deep green chiffon, like the needle of a Douglas Fir, sleeveless with a skirt of draped ruching. She looks stunning in it. I’ve picked a tie to match, though it has silver stripes in addition to the green. Audrey tells me I look sharp in green. I’ve never really worn it much. Perhaps I’ll make an effort to change that. Audrey does have impeccable taste. She’s also chosen a black dress shirt for me for the evening. I’m not sure what I think about that, if I’m honest. Black, apparently, looks good on me. She licked her lips when I tried it on. Sometimes, I think I’ve got her figured, and other times… Well, it’s best not to try, I suppose.

 

“Diane, it is now 12:17 and my ankle is throbbing. I’m sitting on a stoop on the side of the road. I’m now almost positive that I’ve got a sprain. The car is several blocks away. I’m quite content to sit here, in lieu of that. Unfortunately, the phone booth on the corner appears to be out of order. I have plenty of quarters, so maybe the next time someone comes down the road, I can ask someone to assist me to the nearest shop, where there will be most likely a phone I can use.

I suppose you are wondering how I managed to sprain my ankle. I tripped, Diane. It is the most humiliating scenario imaginable. I was chasing down the perp, when the toe of my shoe caught on a most inconveniently uneven crack in the cement of the sidewalk. Needless to say, he’s escaped, but, hopefully, now that I’ve been able to see him, I can positively identify him upon return to the Bureau.

 

“Diane it is 12:29. I’ve successfully made it into a store, courtesy of a nice older man named Abraham Johnson. He runs the cigar emporium across the street, where I have already made use of the phone. The Bureau is sending someone to pick me up, as well as another agent to check for any leads on the perp. Until they get here, I’ve been offered a cigar on the house. I debated taking it, simply out of gratitude, but instead, I’ve asked if he has any ice, so I can fix up this ankle right quick.

I’ve got that ice pack now, Diane, and it’s is such a relief! I’m quite enjoying this shop. It smells not of smoke, but of vanilla and cloves. It’s a warm scent and I do rather enjoy the way it curls through the air. Aromatic like a pecan pie. Hmmm. Pie…

Audrey is still smoking her cigarettes, but she only does it outside, says she doesn’t want to ruin the apartment. I’ve countered her argument with the fact that she could also accomplish that by simply not smoking at all. I’m afraid we’ll be debating the subject of her smoking habits for quite some time yet. I think she’s cut down, but she won’t tell me out of pride. I’m reasonably certain she only does it when she’s stressed now. Until such time as she realizes that there are other things she could do to alleviate stress instead- Oh! I...that came out quite wrong, Diane, please don’t misconstrue that. I’ve been trying to get her to try out yoga with me. There’s this little place that’s not too far from our apartment, a Tibetan run institution! It promises real results, Diane and-

 

“It is now 1:35 Diane. I’m at home. Agent Kyle brought me back in my car, and has elected to take a cab, for which I insisted I pay, back to the office. Remind me, Diane, to look where I’m going the next time I’m running around back alleys in the shadier part of town. I’ll need to pick up Audrey in two hours. Until then, I’m resting up. I don’t want to disappoint her, so I’ve taken a Benadryl and elevated my ankle. I will change out my ice pack every thirty minutes. Hopefully, by the time I have to leave, I’ll be in better shape to sweep Audrey off her feet tonight. This is Dale Cooper, signing off.

 

“Hi Diane, it’s Audrey. It’s 2:14am the 9th of October. Dale’s sleeping, poor thing. He shouldn’t have tried to dance so much tonight, with his ankle like that, but he looked amazing. He still doesn’t know we’ve teamed up? Let him know, tomorrow, when he goes into the office, that the silver in his tie makes him look dashing. Then bring him the ice pack and make sure he stays off the foot. He did more damage last night before I found out… I was steaming! Between the two of us, we’ll get him to take care of himself yet.

Oh, and for laughs, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. One of the professors who attended the dance had Dale as a student! Boy was he surprised to see Dale! Especially on my arm. I think he might have been a bit scandalized. Dale was genial, but I think he was mortified by the meeting. Not sure why yet, but I get the feeling that if I visit during office hours, the professor might be inclined to share. Dirt on Dale! What fun that would be! Depending on what I find out, I’ll let you know. Take care of him for me. This is Audrey Horne, signing off.

 

“It’s 4:19 October 10th. Diane,  it has come to my attention that Audrey has contacted you behind my back with...uncertain motives. I think I now understand why you’ve taken to complimenting me, before practically ordering me to do something that I might otherwise...take under consideration. Audrey would call it informed ignorance. Anyways, I’m now on to you, and you will find that you’ll have a much more difficult time keeping me desk-bound, even if you find the silver in my tie a dashing addition to my daily ensemble.

I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve taken to letting Audrey choose my clothing in the mornings.

Thank you, Diane, for taking such good care of me, at Audrey’s behest.

This is Dale Cooper, signing off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Audrey’s Dress for those interested:  
> http://nord.imgix.net/Zoom/18/_100083338.jpg?fit=fill&bg=FFF&fm=jpg&w=860&h=1318&dpr=1.5&q=52.5


	10. “Your hands are so much larger than mine.”

“Your hands are so much larger than mine,” Audrey’s voice was low, and soft as she took Cooper’s hand in hers, running thin fingers whisper light across the skin of his palm.  It was dark in their apartment, save for the light that filtered in through the window, silhouetting Audrey’s languid form. Only her eyes shone in the dark. The lay together, both fully clothed, on their bed which was still impeccably made.  

Cooper said nothing, only shivered at her touch, giving over his control to her.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked, not tentative, only caring. The tone in her voice precluded no expectations, no requirements. Her thumb began to run soft, tingling circles on his palm, and he closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the cyclical motion, in its minute simplicity, allowing it to simplify his world down to just that moment in time, and the feel of her skin against his, expelling all else from his mind, if only for a second.

He opened his eyes and found Audrey staring at him. There was no pity to be seen there, no judgement, no annoyance, no rage, not even love. Only acceptance. That she would be there. That she would always support him when he couldn’t support himself, knowing that he would do the same for her. All the emotion he held within him, he had already let out. He’d gotten in the car to go home, stopped on a side road, parked and screamed in the solitude. When it was over, he’d pulled back out, and returned to their apartment. Audrey had been waiting for him.

_“He got away,”_

Those three words were enough, and Audrey had been able to put the pieces together without needing him to fill in. Cooper had stepped forward, into her embrace, and fell into the comfort of her presence, allowing his rage and pain to cool to embers as time moved around them. She’d led him to the bed, and they had lain down there. Audrey had only taken the time to loosen his tie; he even still wore his shoes.

Above them, the fan hummed monotonously. Through the open window, the ambient noise of the city filled the air around them. Audrey brought Cooper’s fingers to her lips, and pressed them there, less than a kiss, more than the simple contact of her hands. He shuddered.

The phone rang. On the third tone, he broke his long silence.

“I should get that,”

“I will,” Audrey sat up and reached over to the bedside table, one hand still clasping Cooper’s limp one. He felt so drained of energy, he didn’t think he could have made himself move if he’d wanted to. He closed his eyes.

“This is Audrey Horne speaking. Yes. Yes, he’s here. No. I understand. Of course,”

Cooper heard her return the receiver to its resting place, felt Audrey curl up next to him again, her legs tangling over his.

“That was your office,”

“I know,” He opened his eyes once more, locking his gaze with hers. No more words passed between them, despite the message he was sure that the office had asked her to pass along. Instead, she brushed a strand of his hair away from his eyes, and allowed her palm to come to rest against his cheek.

“You can’t keep it all inside, Dale,” Audrey’s words came hushed and slow, and Cooper felt the hot sting start in his eyes. Instinctually, he clenched his jaw against the sensation, willing the tears away. Bad things happened all the time. He had more than come to terms with that, considering all the things that he’d experienced in his lifetime. Ever since the ordeal with BOB, he’d felt less sure of himself, less secure in his abilities, hesitant to trust his capability to perform on the job. To be the man the Bureau required of him. There were cracks in his foundation, fissures of doubt. Rivulets of that most dangerous of all failings inherent in man: _fear._

They’d patched each other up over time, but there was only so much that could heal in so short a time. And after…Cooper’s mind flashed to the events of the day…he was falling apart at the seams.

“Audrey,” He whimpered.

“You have to face it, Dale,” The distance in her eyes was gone, replaced with the shine of unshed tears and building emotions. “Let me help you,”

He was powerless against her, shuddering a breath with the release of hot tears, allowing her to draw him to her. Cooper could feel the even beat of Audrey’s heart where his cheek rested as he wept, silently. Her hands raked through his hair, holding him against her tender, but firm.  

Against her skin, wet with his tears, he rasped. “I’m better than this, Audrey,”

“No, Dale. You are better _for_ it. This doesn’t make you less. This doesn’t change who you are, what you do,”

“How can you have such faith?” He asked, pulling back from her, the incredulity plainly visible on his face.

“I learned from you, Dale,” Audrey’s statement made the knot in Cooper’s stomach tighten uncomfortably. “You had hope at a time when I had none, because you _had_ to, and now it’s my turn. I’m here, no matter what. You know that, don’t you?”

“I-”Cooper blinked.

“You don’t have to do this by yourself. You don’t have to keep it all in. Share it with me. Share the burden, just a little. You never have to walk alone,”

She seemed so steady in that moment. Like a rock amidst the waves, immovable despite all odds. When had she grown so strong? But he knew the answer. She’d always been strong. All along she’d been there, through each and every trial. Audrey had been drugged and beaten and abused, neglected, denied, put down, and through it all she had remained. She’d pulled him from the Abyss, despite overwhelming odds, despite all the pain he had caused her.

“I know you want to protect me, Dale, but I’m fine, really. I can handle it. I’m here with you now, and I can handle it. You don’t have to protect me. Let me protect you,”

He shook his head, and she started to speak again, but he stopped her.

“No, Audrey. I’m not...rejecting your help. I just...I’ve been a fool. I’m always a fool, it seems. How could I ever forget? You’re the strongest person I know, Audrey. Far stronger than me. I’m so used to protecting people that-”

“I understand,” She replied, and Cooper knew she meant it. “Tell me about it, please?”

“Okay, Audrey, I will,”


	11. “Shhh, they’ll hear us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the product of Lynzee's encouragement. My first explicit sex scene. Enjoy.

“Shhh,”His voice was low and sultry in Audrey’s ear. “They’ll hear us,”

Her back was pressed firmly into the bookshelf behind her, the long plane of her neck displayed, head thrown back into the open space as Cooper kissed and nipped at the tender flesh behind her ear. She felt the ghosting of his eyelashes on her skin as he blinked, sending a shiver down her spine. His hands rested heavy on her hips, slid up, the slight pressure intoxicating, and came to rest, firm on her breasts.

The heat of him against her was incredible. He’d begun to kiss her, lips soft, and tongue hot, his mouth dark with the taste of coffee. One of Audrey’s hands tangled in the hair at the base of his neck, soft and short, the other the other clutching at his shoulder.  Anxious, she swallowed the keening sound that was growing in her throat when one of his hands slid back down the length of her body to tease at the hem of her skirt. 

“God, you make me reckless,” Cooper murmured against her mouth, and their eyes locked. His pupils were lust-blown and his expression was wild with abandon. He was beautiful in that moment and she savored it before tilting her head forward and biting at his lip and pressing her hot mouth against his again.

Cooper’s hand traveled up her thigh, light and warm like the sun, and she basked in him utterly, in the adoration and attentions he ravished on her. Deft fingers moved higher and she gasped audibly, in the silence of the library.  As he stroked her, she could hear the sounds of the other students, in less dusty alcoves, opening books, shuffling papers. It enhanced the moment, sending a pooling of hot anxiety and arousal into her lower abdomen. Her incisor came down hard on her lower lip, hard enough to draw a little blood but it stymied another gasp as his fingers slid against her folds. 

“Dale…” Her voice hitched as she said his name. Audrey was breathless and growing desperate. She let her own hand wander down from his neck and dragged her fingers deftly across the front of his slacks; when he pulled away from her mouth with an “ _Oh God, Audrey”_ , she allowed herself a sultry smile before working slowly, torturously, at his belt buckle, at the button and zipper of his pants.

Impatient, he removed his hand from where it had been at her waist and pushed her own hand away, until only their lips and his fingers joined them; he made quicker work of the confines than she.  Cooper crooked his fingers when she giggled, devilish, at his haste and she couldn’t stop herself from keening in response. Audrey brought a leg up, hooking it around his waist, drawing him nearer her until his chest pressed against her breasts, and his kiss was firm enough to bruise.

“Now, Dale. Oh God, _now,_ ”

He hiked her up against the bookcase, enough for her to get another leg around him, lower than the other, but just enough. He pressed in between Audrey’s legs, and she felt the velvet heat as he pushed in easily, her muscles contracting, until his hips were flush with hers.

With one hand braced against the bookshelf, the other encircling her waist, Cooper set a rhythm, hips stuttering. A book fell from the shelf with a thud and he groaned, breath fire against her throat. Footsteps passed dangerously close.

Audrey’s breath came in short bursts, growing louder and louder.  He quelled the noises she was making, licking his way into her mouth again, coordination failing. Three more books fell as their urgency grew and a fourth before her head snapped back and hit the shelf with a loud crack and she tightened around him, setting off his own release. His forehead rested on her shoulder as he panted, spent.

A chair screeched backwards and steps were suddenly too close for comfort.

“Dale!” Audrey hissed.

Hastily they righted themselves, Audrey smoothing her skirt and grabbing the fallen books while Cooper tucked in his shirt haphazard, and fixed his pants.

“Hair too,” She whispered, combing at her locks with her fingers, hoping it would be alright. Cooper had only to slick the disheveled strands back.

Standing on tip toes, Audrey risked a quick kiss. “I hope you enjoyed your lunch break, Agent Cooper. I’ll see you at home,” Then, the fallen books clasped to her chest, she left him in the alcove smiling tenderly after her.


	12. “It sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself,”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Audrey has a bad day. But bad days are never about the terrible drivers or almost missing class. There's always something deeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is super angsty? Somehow? I felt it was appropriate, I guess. What they went through isn't the sort of thing a person just recovers from. Sometimes you feel worse and sometimes you're okay. 
> 
> This story references an unwritten one that precedes it, as well as Lynzee's story "A Thing of Wonder", from which Kathy originates. It is very close to the end of the Moment's timeline.

When Audrey woke up that morning, Dale rolled over, burrowing himself under the covers more thoroughly and the heat of his presence dissipated faster than she’d have liked. It was a late start day for him and a early start for her. The evening before Dale had been out for several hours so, despite knowing that he’d likely have wanted her to wake him, she let him sleep. It was uncommon to start her day without him by her side through the morning routine. It wasn’t totally unheard of, but, for some reason his absence seemed to have left a larger emptiness than usual.

She made coffee for one, and had only toast and jam for breakfast. The lights were off and a chill had set in. It had snowed the night before and the wind howled at the window well into the night. Before she left, Audrey prepped the coffee maker again, so that it would be ready for him when he got up - something to let him know she was thinking about him. 

She bundled up in her favourite scarf and warmest coat before heading out to the car, which was thankfully parked in the garage below the complex. While it was rare anymore for Dale to drive her to classes, or vice versa, the drive still felt lonesome to Audrey, who was hoping that the rote action would drive her out of the funk in which she’d woken. Literally. 

It didn’t. The other drivers, it seemed, were more idiotic than normal because of the snowfall. The going was slow and tedious, and Audrey only felt herself getting more worked up. She’d always had a temper, but when she started yelling at the car in front of her (road rage wasn’t usually her thing) Audrey knew it was out of hand. 

Somehow, she managed to make it to class on time. The clock showed eight exactly, she was in her seat, her notebook was out and the professor was still unpacking his briefcase. 

“One good thing,” she muttered. Next to her, Alan startled out of apparent slumber. 

“Did you say something?”

“No,” Audrey shot back. She’d snapped, of course, and Alan looked perturbed, but he just shrugged it off with a ‘whatever’ and turned his attention to the front of the room.  Audrey attempted to do the same. Twenty minutes into class, Audrey knew it was useless. She closed her notebook, put the pen on top of it and sat back, listening to the professor drone, but not absorbing anything. Forty minutes later and one class down, her mind wasn’t settled. 

She headed up to the library, resolving to get notes from Heather later, found a book on the Bureau and sat down to read. 

“Audrey, what’re you doing up here?” It was Kathy, one of the friends whom she’d spent several hours with after classes were canceled a week prior. “You weren’t in class,”

“I got this...thing...that I can’t shake. A mood.I don’t know, it’s silly,” 

“It’s not silly,” Kathy sat down next to her, pushing her books off onto the table. “Talk to me. We’re friends, right? Talk is what friends do,” 

Audrey bit at her lip, but quickly stopped. “I woke up this morning and I just felt weird. Dale was at work really late so I let him sleep and while that’s not unheard of, this morning it just felt so...lonely. I guess I’m just used to him being up with me in the mornings. it’s silly,” 

“It sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself,” Kathy replied, looking at her hard. Audrey shifted in her seat then, uncomfortable for once with the attention on her. Kathy knew a lot more about her than most of the people at Haverford. “It’s not silly. You’re not just lonely, and it’s not because he didn’t get up with you this morning. What’s really going on?” 

“Well, at the end of November my half sister came to visit. Just after we spent that evening together, you know? And we’re not really very good friends, because we didn’t know we were half sisters until last spring. She was actually Laura’s closest friend, not mine. Not by a long shot, at least, until we found all that out. I was pretty upset with my Dad...I lived with her family for a couple of days. But anyway, she same to visit and it was...nice. I guess that’s the word for it. A bit awkward. Back in the summer, Dale and I had one of his friends from Twin Peaks over and that wasn’t as awkward. I guess I’ve just been thinking a lot about things these past couple weeks. About the past...and the future…” Audrey trailed off, looking at her hands where they held open the pages of the book. 

“Memories about...what you and Dale went through?” Kathy asked, a degree of hesitance in her voice. Audrey looked up sharply, and Kathy, it seemed, noticed, much to her chagrin. “I just mean that you said things got pretty bad, with the panic attacks an all. Maybe this is just another stage of your process,” 

“What, that I don’t know how to talk to the girl who’s my half sister and I’m moody about it? Or the fact that the first thing Dale did when I woke up this morning was roll away from me? Maybe it’s that Dale’s been having a hard time at work and needs me but I don’t half know how to cope with it myself? How can I help him if I don’t know how to-”

She cut off abruptly. The silence was uncomfortable to say the least. Audrey hung her head. “God, I’m sorry, I’m such a mess,” 

Kathy looked sympathetic and it killed Audrey inside. “I think you and Dale need to talk, Audrey. Seriously. Remember in Sociology, when we were talking about interpersonal communication? If you don’t talk about it, you can’t do anything about it,” 

“I thought we were past this. I really did. I thought with the whole summer between us and everything that happened…” She sighed, wistful. “It’ll be a year in February. A year since I met Dale. Since Laura died. Since all our lives were turned on end. but what’s a year to something like that? It changed everyone involved irrevocably. Not just me and Dale. Wishful thinking I guess,” 

That time, their silence felt companionable. Kathy put her hand on Audrey’s, and Audrey looked up, eyes sharp but watery. 

“Ten to one, he’s feeling the same,” Kathy whispered conspiratorially. 

Audrey smiled at that, hoping that her gratitude could be convey with one simple facial expression. Kathy squeezed her hand and then sat back. 

“We’ll, I’d better get to class,” 

“Yeah, me too. Can you share your notes with me for next class?” 

“Of course,” 

Audrey watched her friend go, the bitterness of her morning not gone away entirely. Closing her eyes, Audrey thought about what she’d do that evening when she got home, Dale waiting for her, a smile undoubtedly on his face, and happiness in his eyes at the sight of her. Things weren’t perfect, not by a mile. But sometimes, they came close. 


	13. "My nightmares are about losing you,"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rush of adrenaline fades - it was naught but a dream.

Dale woke with a start, sitting up in bed, the covers falling off of him. His heart was pounding furiously, liked he’d just run the Boston Marathon while being chased by rabid dogs. The dream was still vivid in his mind, like a searing brand. It hurt to recall the images, the sounds. He turned to look beside him. Audrey was there. She was propped up on her elbows, head not five inches from the pillow. 

“Dale?” 

“Thank god you’re alright,” He rasped, his voice heavy with lingering fear. She sat up then and enfolded him in her arms, pressing him tight to her. 

“Hush, hush, sweetheart! It’s okay, I’m okay. Whatever it was...it was just a dream. That’s all. Probably because you’re overheating,” 

He laughed a bit at that despite himself. She was always calling him her personal space heater. Against his ear, Dale could feel the gentle thrumming inside her chest, proud and strong; Audrey’s fearless heart beating a steady rhythm, calming him from the throes of fear. 

“You want to talk about it?” She asked, but continued without waiting for an answer. “I can never remember my nightmares, which I guess is both a blessing and a curse. Wouldn’t it be terrible not to remember what you were afraid of? If you can’t remember, how can you know that you don’t have to be afraid? My father used to say it was silly. Why be afraid at all if you can’t even remember. But I always thought that talking about it would help,” 

He didn’t hesitate to say it. “Lately, it seems, all my nightmares are about losing you,”.

“Me?”

There it was, the unspoken terror between them. The months they’d spent trying to move on from what had happen. From the memories that were tied to the small scar at her hairline and the haunted look in his eyes when there was occasionally a spare moment. 

“I’m not going anywhere, Dale. Wide horses and all that, you know?” 

Sometimes, he was reminded how young she really was. 

“The world is big and terrifying Audrey and it is far, far too easy for people to get lost in it all,” 

“I. Am. Not. Going. Anywhere.” She punctuated each word, gripping his shoulders firmly. His flesh felt like putty against her. Dale wanted to melt away until he was one with her. Safe. Together. Permanent.

She lifted her hands from his shoulders to his face and he almost collapsed without the support. Her thumbs brushed his cheekbones. Hands swept into his hair, gripping, and pressing until they were flush together. The silk of her nightwear gleamed in the moonlight and he wished he could feel it against his chest. Instead there was only the slide of his cotton nightshirt against the smooth fabric. 

“I am not going anywhere,” She kissed his forehead tenderly, but firm, like she could leave a permanent mark of protection there against the dreams. 

“I know,” 


	14. “You call that music?”

She was nervous and he found it utterly endearing. The bureau office party on the Saturday before Christmas had been in their plans for some time, and had Audrey asking him all sorts of questions about decorum and what she would be expected to wear, and what did people talk about and, and, and!

 _“Wear the green dress from when we went to your dance in the fall. You’ll fit right in. It’s a big affair, and most of it is going to be small talk. Don’t worry about it. We’ll probably see Denise and Albert. Diane. Gordon. There will be people you’ll know,”_ He told her rather bemusedly.

 _“This is important to me,”_ She replied with a seriousness he hadn’t anticipated. He put his hands on her upper arms, grasping gently, and smiled. It was tender and reached his eyes, which sparkled with fond affection.

_“Audrey, everything is going to be fine. Just because it’s the FBI doesn’t mean it won’t be like any other party your Father has hosted in the past. And I know you’ve been to enough of those,”_

She twisted her hands in the soft, lavender knit of her sweater. _“It’s not that, Dale, really. It’s not. I… You’re right I’ve been to plenty of things like this, but it’s not about that. Don’t worry about it, okay? You’re right. I’m being silly, it’s silly,”_

He’d tried, over the next several weeks, to wheedle the information out of her, but to no avail. It was obvious that something was bothering her, despite her words to the contrary. They saw one of her college friends when they were out Christmas shopping, and chatted a bit about the upcoming party when she asked them what they were going to be doing for the holidays, and once they’d gone their separate ways, Dale made another attempt to ask her. It was a gentle prod, but Audrey brushed it off summarily and busied herself asking him what she ought to get his parents for Christmas. _That_ opened up the way into a whole new and diverting conversation, which, later, he suspected might have been her goal all along, and he forgot that she’d never answered his question.

The night before the party they were wrapping a few gifts, which Audrey had insisted upon. Small things for each of their mutual friends from the both of them, but, essentially, from Audrey herself. Cooper had told her it was unnecessary, but she’d done it anyway, and gone out of her way to get something she thought each of them would especially appreciate.

She was affixing ribbons to the handles of each gift bag when he got home. Dale had gone down to the store for a quick grocery run, at Audrey’s request, something he thought had to do with giving her an opportunity to wrap _his_ present. He stood, shoulder against the doorframe, silent for a moment, watching her as she used a single scissors blade to curl the ends.

_“What do you want for Christmas?”_

_“You’re my present this year, Audrey. Really. All of this. It’s too much. It’s more than I could ever have imagined, and I’m really just happiest this year knowing that I’ve got you with me,”_ He’d told her one night as they lay in bed, bundled together under the thick covers. They’d spent the evening baking a batch of gingerbread men and working through the final revisions on Audrey’s Abnormal Psychology paper, so the comfort of their warm bed was already lulling him into that place where he was always slightly embarrassed by the things he found himself saying. But Audrey never made him feel silly for it.

 _“Really? Nothing else?”_ He recalled the ghost of her fingertips on the muscles of his abdomen, rubbing there gently, the motion a habitual comfort to them both. He leaned forward to nuzzle his nose to her.

_“I could never want for anything else,”_

He smiled at the memory.

“Almost done?” He asked her, stepping out of the doorway and over to the packages.

“Nearly. Just need you to sign your name on the cards and we’ll be all set,” She didn’t chance a look up, busy with the ribbon. “Were you able to get everything at the corner shop or did you have to go down the block?”

“Corner shop had it in a pinch,”

She looked up at him.

“Oh, Dale!” She sighed happily. He held a cream red mix poinsettia out to her. She took it, rubbing a petal loosely between her fingers. “I love the mix ones. Thank you,”

“I got everything else too. We’re all set. Do you need me to do anything else here?” He asked, picking up the pen she’d left lying on the table and opening the first card. At the top was written in Audrey’s fine, curling script: _Dear Denise,._

“No, that’s all. I’m going to make some coffee. You said you wanted to watch a movie tonight?”

“Yeah. I was thinking we could,”

“White Christmas?” She called over her shoulder from where she stood at the counter, measuring out the coffee. Enough for two cups each.

“If you don’t mind,”

“You can get it set up after you finish there,”

“I’ll take care of the envelops too,”

It amazed him utterly how they were able to move around each other seamlessly, as though they’d shared the same space all their lives, fitting in the other’s curves, physically and mentally. He looked around, holding the four sealed envelopes, at the home they had made together. His apartment had once been nothing more than a place to live. A place that he inhabited when he wasn’t on assignment. A place that meant nothing. He hadn’t had a real home in so many years…

“Dale?”

Audrey observed him, head cocked slightly, the light on the percolator blinking red behind her. There was a little furrow between her eyebrows that showed a hint of concern. The moment crystalized before him so suddenly that Dale had to physically shake himself out of it.

“Dale? Are you okay?”

He smiled, a little strained despite his sincerity.

“Audrey,” He said. “I’ve never been better,”

* * *

“Zip me up?”

When Audrey opened the door to the bathroom, a draft of cool air rushed in. Dale, fresh from the shower and with only a towel about his hips, shivered, the hair on his arms standing on end.  Hastily, she closed it and held her arm above her head so he could get at the tight side zip, her other hand pinching the edges of fabric together at the top. The zipper itself began just below her hip and a strip of creamy skin was visible all the way up her body, unblocked by bands of fabric.

He raised an eyebrow at her when she glanced down.

“What?”

He shook his head, smiling quickly. “Nothing,”.

The zipper slid up her side with ease. Dale did the small clasp up as well, and then stepped back. Audrey put a hand to the mirror, wiping away the fog. “I’ve just got to do my makeup. I left your shirt on the ironing table. It’s still warm, so hurry up,”

He chuckled at her business-like tone. Leaning in, he kissed her cheek gently and brushed a curl of her hair away from her ear. “Yes, dear,”

Dale did as she asked, proceeding to dry off while she expertly applied her makeup in a brisk, efficient manner. The nerves that had been with her since they’d first discussed the possibility of attending were more apparent than ever. He hadn’t pressed since the day they’d gone shopping, afraid that he would make her angry, which was the last thing he wanted to do. Audrey had always come to him, eventually, when things were bothering her, and, at some point, he had hoped should would do so again. The fact that she hadn’t worried him a bit, but Dale didn’t imagine it was anything serious.

He was tying his silver and green tie in the mirror when he heard her call out. “Five minutes and we have to go!”

“Okee doke!” He called back, just finishing the Windsor knot and synching it up securely.

Five minutes later his hair was slicked back, the presents were in the trunk and Audrey’s perfume was wafting pleasantly in the car as they drove away from their apartment.

Distractedly and, it had not escaped Dale’s notice, anxiously, Audrey fiddled with the fingers of her gloves. She was always fiddling with some article of clothing when she was unsure of herself. Outwardly, Dale didn’t allow his concern to show.

“How about some music?” He asked, punching the radio. The sounds of _I Want a Hippopotamus_ for Christmas came blaring out of the speakers.

There was a moment where only the song played. Not even a breath exchanged between the two. Dale chanced a look at Audrey. Her eyes were wide.

“You call that music?” She asked in all seriousness. And then, promptly dissolved into laughter. It warmed Dale to the core and he relaxed at the sound. All the tension in the car dissipated, though there was still the nervous twisting of her gloves. “Honestly, I always thought it was a cute song, though,” She added a bit belatedly. “Silly, and strange, but cute,”

“You’re talking to a kid who’s most prized possession was a Jimmy Stewart poster from _The F.B.I. Story._ I’m not going to fault anyone for singing about wanting a hippo,”

“I don’t think I ever knowingly wished for an F.B.I. Agent, but it’s not the worst surprise I’ve ever gotten,” She smiled, teasing.

The rest of the drive went along without comment. Audrey had switched the radio to the CD player, and Mannheim Steamroller was playing when they arrived. Snow was falling softly, and there was no wind to buffet them as Dale removed the presents from the trunk.

Offering his arm to Audrey, the two of them walked to the door.

Once inside, coats and hats and gloves checked, Audrey took two of the gifts from Cooper, who slid his free arm around hers again. “Relax,” He whispered lips just above her ear.

The room was crowded, full of agents, other employees and their spouses. Audrey clutched his arm more tightly that he imagined she realized. It was utterly endearing, even if he still didn’t fully understand the cause.

“Coop! Cooper! You dog! Get over here, Coop! Dawson’s back for the holiday!” A tall, blonde man waved his arm, gesturing them over.

“That’s Bruce Teague. He’s in the violent crimes division. Jeffrey Dawson is too. He’s been away on assignment,” He informed her as they walked. “I used to work in their office, some years back. I don’t see much of them anymore,” They came to a stop in front of his coworkers, each of whom had a drink in their hand and was amiably red faced.

“Teague! Dawson! Good to see you both!” Jovially, Dale shook their hands, a companionable grin on his face. “I’d like you both to meet Audrey. Audrey Horne, this is Jeffrey Dawson and Bruce Teague,” Audrey smiled, but didn’t say anything

“So you’re the mystery behind the localized cases, hey?” Teague asked, flashing a dashing smile. “Didn’t know you had it in you Coop!”

Before he could respond, Audrey spoke. A sudden change had come over her, as if the anxiety of so few minutes ago had never existed.  “Dale made that decision on his own, I assure you.” Her tone was kind, but held a slight challenge.

“I’m sure!” Dawson elbowed Teague. “I’d make the same choice if I were him. What is it you do, Audrey?”

“I’m at Haverford for criminal psychology. I expect to be entering the Academy within the next two years,” She stated matter of fact. Both men looked on at her superciliously. Audrey only raised a brow in return.

“There’s Albert,” Dale interjected. “Fellas, good seeing you,” And they were off again, over towards a more familiar looking group of people. “Sorry about them, Audrey,” Dale cringed. “It’s still a boy’s club around here. They can be…well…”

“Rude,”

“In a word,”

She stopped him, turning and grasping his upper arm. “It’s fine, Dale. It’s fine. Really. It’s nothing I’m not prepared to handle. Besides. I already have the good opinion of the people that really matter,” There was no waver in her voice, no hesitation. Any uncertainty in her was gone. Dale wondered again at the true origin of it.

“Hello Albert!” Audrey called out, pulling a little at Dale’s arm as she started forward again, small giftbags swaying where they hung across her arm.

“Miss. Horne,” Albert’s tone was clipped and formal as usual, but it didn’t deter Audrey a bit. She stood on her tip toes and pecked him on the cheek.

“It’s good to see you too, Albert,”

Albert harrumphed. Audrey had turned to greet Denise, leaving Albert to Dale’s care.

“Albert! Happy Holidays. I see you’ve put in a bit of effort for festive cheer. _Nice tie_ ,” He stated pointedly, holding out the gift bag. The tie was red with small snowflakes. “Here. Audrey’s idea,”

“Naturally,” Albert too the bag. “She’s too good for you Coop,”

“I know, Albert. I know. But don’t tell her that. She won’t hear a word of it,”

“I suppose not,” Albert glanced into the bag with a look of feigned disinterest. Cooper grinned widely. “You know what’s in here?”

“Can’t tell you that, Albert. You’ll have to open it and see,”

Audrey was talking animatedly with Denise, when Dale chanced a glance her way. Audrey had confessed that Denise was something of an idol for her, which Dale had promptly told Denise first chance he got. She’d blushed, and then laughed it off, but Dale could tell that it had meant a lot for her to hear it.

“She’ll make a fine agent someday, Coop,” Albert said in a low voice. “She’s got a damn fine intuition and she can read people better than most. She’ll be okay, Cooper,”

“Albert, I couldn’t ask for a better woman in my life,”

“You’re goddamned blessed, you’ve got that right. If one good thing came of that hell on earth you call ‘pie heaven’ it’s that girl,”

“You know, Albert, I think-“

“COOPER. MISS HORNE. GOOD TO SEE THE BOTH OF YOU THIS FINE NIGHT. NO TROUBLE GETTING HERE FROM DOWNTOWN?”

“Not a problem, Gordon. Good to see you,” Dale reached out a hand and shook with Gordon enthusiastically.

“Hello Chief Cole,”

“THAT’S GORDON TO YOU SWEETHEART. NO FORMALITIES BETWEEN YOU AND ME. NOW, CAN I GET YOU SOMETHING TO DRINK? CAN’T LET A LADY GO WITHOUT A DRINK AT THESE SHINDIGS,”

“That’d be lovely, thank you, Gordon,” Audrey demurred just loudly enough that Gordon could hear her. He smiled and gave a thumbs up.

“I’LL BE RIGHT BACK. YOU KIDS ENJOY YOUR CHAT WHILE I’M GONE,”

“Hi Coop,” Denise slapped Dale on the back, her giftbag already in hand. “Good seeing you,”

“You look great, Denise,” Dale smiled to look at his friend, who wore a very elegant black evening dress.

“You don’t look so bad yourself. Audrey picking out your clothes now days?” She asked, chuckling. In response, Dale only blushed. “Ah huh. I figured as much. Coop, let me tell you. Women have taste. Let her. You’ll be the best looking guy in the division. Look. There’s Hanson’s wife eyeing you up right now,” Dale’s head turned swiftly, but Denise just laughed again. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. But really, you look good. And it’s not just the clothes. And don’t get me started on Audrey! If anyone’ll be turning heads tonight it’s her. I’ve already heard some people saying she’s a prospective,”

Dale smiled sincerely at the comment. “Well, she’s got a great role model, Denise. I think you inspired her. She’ll join you in the leagues of women agents soon enough,”

Denise shrugged. “Of a sort,” Her eyes diverted. “I’ll catch you later, Coop. Have a good Holiday, alright?”

“You too, Denise, you too. We’ll have to catch dinner after the holidays,”

“You betcha, Coop,” She replied, and then stalked off towards another colleague, black satin heels clacking tactfully as she went.

Audrey’s arm crept over his shoulder. “Making plans with Denise, are we?”

“Yep. I think we ought to have dinner with her. You can ask her for more stories about the DEA. She’s got ones she can talk about at least,”

“You mean cases that are actually closed,” She sounded bemused to his ears. Dale turned to look at his date; Audrey was glowing with happiness.

“Something like that,” He looked to her arm and saw that she’d given away the other bag. “Did I miss Diane?”

“A man in accounting came over and asked her to dance. She says thanks and happy holidays. I’m getting the drift that she might not be back any time soon,” Audrey scrunched up her nose with glee. “It’s a good party. I’m glad we came, Dale. Really,”

“I know that you weren’t-“

“COOPER, MISS HORNE, I’VE GOT US SOME DRINKS HERE. ALBERT YOU TOO,” Gordon held out several flutes of champagne.  Audrey hesitated. “I WON’T TELL ANYONE, MISS HORNE, IF YOU DON’T,” he said, handing her a glass by its thin stem.

“I’ll take your word for it,”

Dale took his glass, and pass another from Gordon to the returning Albert.

“I PROPOSE A TOAST. TO GOOD COMPANY,”

“To good company!” The three chorused, clinking their glasses.

Dale set his down after a moment, and held out the last gift bag.

“Gordon, for you, from Audrey and I,”

“GEEWIZ COOP, MISS HORNE. MIND IF I OPEN IT NOW?”

“Not at all,”

As they watched on, Albert downed his drink. “I’m off. Got some business in the morning. Happy Holidays,”

Audrey, true to form, kissed him on the cheek again. Albert may have even blushed in response. “Happy Holidays, Albert,”

“And a safe drive home,”

“See you, Coop. Audrey,”

“HOO-LY! ALBERT LOOK AT THIS! COUPON GOOD FOR ONE DOUBLE R PIE, FLAVOUR OF CHOICE, MADE BY SHELLY JOHNSON AND FLOWN OUT TO YOURS TRULY. YOW! WHAT A GIFT!”

The evening progressed from there in several segments, wherein Audrey was introduced, a brief discussion followed and then they or the acquaintance moved on. By the end of the night, Audrey and Dale were pleasantly socially exhausted instead of fatigued, mostly because, they, like Albert,  decided to head out earlier in the end.

Dale went out to the car alone and fired it up, turning the heater on full blast, and drove it up to the door where Audrey waited, shivering. They were out of the parking lot when Dale spoke.

“I was going to say something, back at the party, but I guess now is as good of a time as any,”

“About how nervous I’ve been lately?”

“Yes,”

Audrey sat back in her seat, head thumping gently against the headrest. “It meant a lot to me, to make a good impression. Not just because of you, but because I really, really do want to be an agent. And I know well enough about making an impression by association,”

“Audrey,”

“Let me finish, please, or I’ll never get it all out,” She breathed in heavily, and then out. “ I need to know I can get somewhere on my own merit. I wasn’t nervous about Albert or Denise or Gordon. I was nervous about the others. Seeing me as a potential colleague, as something more than-“

“My girlfriend,”

“A college student,”

Dale brought the car to a halt as the light turned red. He looked to Audrey, who looked to him.

“I needed this, Dale. I’ve lived my whole life being looked at as an extension of someone else. I needed to prove it, if only to myself,”

“I’ve never seen you as an extension of anyone, Audrey. You’re the most singular person I’ve ever met, and I’m amazed daily by your strength of character. Every day. I love you, Audrey. And I believe that you can do whatever you set your mind to,”

The wake of his words brought silence. In the dark, it was hard to tell, but Dale thought he might have seen a tear run down Audrey’s cheek.

“The light’s gone green, Dale,” She said, breaking the moment.

“You are a phenomenal woman, Audrey, don’t you ever forget it,” he added before driving on. In the still, quiet against the white noise of the heater blowing, he thought he could still hear the sound of her breath hitching lightly.

They didn’t really speak the rest of the way home, rather simply enjoying the silence. It wasn’t awkward or forced, just present, resting like a warm blanket over them. Content. At home, in the dark of their apartment foyer they busied themselves with the removal of coats, hats, gloves, shoes and assorted scarves.

Then, a faint sound started from outside the window. Faint, but steadily growing louder, full of off key, high pitched girl and boy voices.

_There's lots of room for him in our two-car garage_

_I'd feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage…_

Audrey laughed heartily at the look on Dale’s face when he recognized the song.

“Never heard a caroler singing that one before!” He held his hand out to Audrey, who took it demurely. “May I have this dance?”

“You may,”

He swung her around, and they began a haphazard waltz to the off kilter tune.

_Oh I want a hippopotamus for Christmas_

_Only a hippopotamus will do_

_No crocodiles, or rhinosauruseses_

_I only likes hippopotamuses_

_And hippopotamuses like me, too…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That particular Saturday of that year would have been the 19th. The Song is "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" by Gayla Peevey.


	15. "Don't move, it'll be okay,"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final installment of the moments. A little holiday treat...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place chronologically after Lynnzee005's "A Thing of Wonder", which is the next installment in this series. Please read that first if you haven't.
> 
> There are still 3 installments of the Moments left to go, all of which happen before this. One is in August and the other two are in late November and early December.

She was laughing. It was infectious. Beautiful. If he had a choice, her laugh would be the last thing that he ever heard, her face the last he would see. Her eyes glinting in the light of the shop windows as they walked back from dinner that night held each happy moment and memory they’d made together, immortalized there in her gaze. Audrey was made for the bleakness of winter - she made each day glow all the more brightly. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, and earlier, rosy from the champagne they’d had with dinner. Denise’s invite surprised them both a little, but the evening of pre Christmas celebration  was spectacular. Companionship, especially before the holidays, was something Dale had long since learned to live without. The coming year was looking especially bright; his father and Shamrock had asked them to fly out in January, Audrey had spoken with Donna about meeting somewhere between Denver and Twin Peaks afterwards, and the holiday gala at the Bureau hadn’t been the usual elbow rubbing wash that it had been years past.  

Dale had  _ plans _ . And Audrey figured into each and every one of them.

The last wisping echo of her laugh rang in his head like the brightest bell, and the soft, slow fall of her had against her cheek, the subtle  _ swish _ it made fell soft in his memory. 

Yes, if these were the last things he would ever remember, it would be well worth it. 

* * *

He was smiling. It was stunning, watching his face light up with unadulterated joy. If the world around him was glowing, it wasn’t because of the lights but because of his smile. Dale’s very bearing belayed the jovial spirit of the season; each step he took sprung with hope and happiness, each caress of his hand on her arm, her cheek, the small of her back, was the lightest sensation, spreading warmth down to her very bones. He was a breath of spring on the coldest darkest winter day. Dinner with Denise just made sense; she was the one of Dale’s friend that Audrey had grown exceptionally close to, and her family didn’t live nearby. Things were finally starting to fall into place for Audrey. She’d made friends, turned acquaintances into good fellowship and managed to retain some connection with her home, despite it all. It was more than she’d hoped for, moving to a new place, having Christmas elsewhere for the first time. The Great Northern was all she knew, usually decked in garlands and filed with trees and candles and light. She’d made her own special space and the apartment was cozier, intimate and inviting. 

Audrey had a future. And Dale would be with her each step of the way. 

She longed for his smile, warm, bright, soft. Reassuring like his gentle touches, the evidence of his absolute regard for her. The tenderness of his voice when he said her name. 

If those were the last pieces she had of him, she could endure anything. 

* * *

Their footfalls were muted, the whole world still except for them. Snow fell softly from the sky, big white flakes like cotton balls, delicately covering the red felt of Audrey’s Cloche. The black ribbon around it was almost totally obscured by white. Dale stopped her, pulling her around by the arm, and reached out a black gloved hand. He brushed a snowflake off of her nose, the tip of which was beautifully pink against the usual cream and leaned in to kiss her red lips. Their breath curled in the air like smoke, mingling. 

“You’re beautiful,” He said in a low tone as he pulled away. There was no seduction to his words, only simplicity. Adoration shone in his eyes and she looked back at him with the same emotions. They kept walking, their strides matched, black knee boots and black shined loafers marking identically spaced patterns in the white covering that dusted the sidewalk. 

“I love you,” She said back. Her arm was hooked around his, gloved fingers gently grasping at the fabric of his sleeve. “Thank you for tonight,”.

“I’m glad Denise asked us to dinner. Something different. Something festive,” She hummed in response. A slight gust of wind rose up, buffeting his scarf around and into Audrey’s face. She caught it, giggling, stopped them once more, and fixed it for him. It was a soft cashmere, grey and maroon in a large, unobtrusive plaid pattern. Fashionable but practical. 

“Have you thought about calling Emmett?” She asked. It was his turn to hum. They were walking again, a comfortable pace.  

“Yes. I have. And you’re right. I’ll call him. First thing tomorrow, I think. It’s as good a time as any,” 

“We have all the time in the world,” There was a lilt in her tone, and Dale’s heart leapt. “And tonight I want to spend it with you, curled up in the chair with a cup of steaming cocoa and a plate of gingerbread and we can take turns reading  _ A Christmas Carol  _ aloud to each other,” 

“I can’t think of anything I would rather do,” 

“Really? Nothing?” Starlight was in her eyes and candlelight in her smile. He matched her gaze. 

“Not a single thing,” 

In a manner of minutes they were back at the apartment, brushing each other off in the lobby of the building. A man in a newsboy cap entered behind them, the paper under one arm and an umbrella under the other. He tipped the brim at them as he passed and, unable to help themselves they chorused “Merry Christmas” back at him. 

Hand in hand they made their way up the steps. Dale fumbled with the keys in his coat pocket before unlocking the door and holding it open. They hung up coats, pulled off shoes and unraveled scarves, laying the wet things on the register in the foyer to dry. 

“I’m going to change,” Audrey said. “Can you get the water started?”

“I’ll even make up a plate of cookies,” Dale replied landing a soft kiss on her cheek before departing. Audrey made her way into the bedroom, peeling off her nylons and unbuttoning her verdant green silk blouse. She was just going for the zip on her skirt when she heard the shattering of porcelain and a loud, indeterminable thump. 

She had his gun in hand in a manner of moments. Dale kept one locked in the bedside drawer, but he’d told her where to find the key when she’d first moved in. Holding the weapon with both hands, precisely the grip he’d taught her, Audrey padded silently towards the kitchen. 

A figure loomed over Dale. He lay on the ground, slumped by the cabinets, his white dress shirt blossoming the brightest holiday red. 

Without breathing, without the slightest moment’s hesitation, she squeezed the trigger. 

Three shots rang out in quick succession, rapidfire, and the figure lurched away with fantastical speed. 

She squeezed off two more shots as she adjusted her angle, mechanical, unthinking. 

The door to the apartment was hanging open, the low light from the hall streaming inside. A newsboy cap lay on the threshold. 

When Audrey could hear again, the only sound was a wet, ragged noise. She placed the gun on the table and swooped down to Dale’s side, her hands pressing at his abdomen futility. “Dale, Dale. Don’t move. It’ll be okay. Dale. Dale, I love you. I love you. It’ll be okay. I love you, I love you,” 

He was looking at her, eyes half lidded, breathing shallow and the tears she hadn’t realized she’d been crying left crystalline spots on his cheeks where they fell. A hand fell on her shoulder, but Audrey hardly felt it. She hardly felt anything. Not the hot wet sluice of his blood on her hands, or the cold tile against her bare knees. 

“Ma’am! Ma’am!”

“Call 911,” She said, but she didn’t hear herself. She could only hear his breathing, low, soft, a barely there sound. “Call 911,” 

Dale slumped a little further against the cabinets, his eyes fluttered closed, and everything was cold, grey, empty; even his blood had darkened so it was almost black in the halflight. Audrey hadn’t moved, her hands still pressing down. 

She didn’t move until the paramedics arrived. She didn’t speak until the cops pulled her away as they took Dale out of the room in a rush that felt like the languid drip of molasses when they’d made cookies a few days prior. 

“Did you see his face? Ma’am, did you see his face,” 

“No,”. 

She didn’t do anything else until Albert arrived, face long and complexion wan. 

“Do you know who it was, Aud?” He asked her, his voice cracking just imperceptibly. 

She looked then, at the hat where it still lay in the doorway, preserved for the investigation, and at the blood on the ground where it pooled around Dale as he’d lay, and the splatters along the wall and in the carpet from where she’d managed to hit her mark. 

Audrey touched the countertop, it’s laminate cold as marble, colourless. The whole world was desaturated. She felt nothing. Not hate, not fear, not pain. She looked back at Albert, detachedly. 

“Earle,”. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be concluded in "A Moonlight Christmas Carol". Coming Soon. Don't worry.


End file.
